EU to allow bird flu vaccination

EU officials have approved plans, 22 Februaru 2006, by France and the Netherlands to vaccinate millions of poultry against bird flu. European Commission proposals to allow France and the Netherlands to carry out targeted preventive vaccination campaigns on poultry, as a precautionary measure against highly pathogenic avian influenza, have been backed by the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health. The vaccination programmes are authorised only for specific birds in specified regions, and will be subject to rigorous surveillance and control requirements. These include movement restrictions, strict monitoring of vaccinated flocks to ensure that there is no undetected outbreak of avian influenza and careful record-keeping. Vaccinated poultry must also be able to be differentiated from poultry and birds with the avian influenza virus. This can be achieved through the DIVA (Differentiating between Infected and Vaccinated Animals) strategy (see MEMO/06/92). The Commission proposals to authorise the vaccination plans also lay out conditions and limits for the trade of the vaccinated birds and their products.

European Commission: Press release: IP/06/210: Avian Influenza: Vaccination of certain poultry in France and Netherlands approved http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/06/210&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

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