What HPAI vaccination in U.S. poultry could look like

The current outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has the U.S. poultry industry reconsidering opposition to vaccinations, but there are important considerations to think about first.

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JurgaR | iStockPhoto.com
JurgaR | iStockPhoto.com

The current outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has the U.S. poultry industry reconsidering opposition to vaccinations, but there are important considerations to think about first.

“In past outbreaks, we were able to use the typical World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) stamping out program – using depopulation is a major driver and using enhanced biosecurity to take care of it,” explained Dr. Rick Phillips, director, Key Account Veterinarians, Boehringer Ingelheim Poultry.

“Last year was a unique situation. We got through summer, through into fall and now we’re coming back into the migratory side with the disease still here.

Avian influenza vaccines in commercial poultry were approved for use in France and across the European Union this year. Most recently, Colombia announced the creation of a vaccine bank against HPAI.

Considerations before HPAI vaccination becomes widespread

Vaccine technology to prevent avian influenza in commercial poultry is improving every day, Phillips said.

HPAI evolves very quickly and new strains emerge. For an avian influenza vaccine to be effective, it would need to selectively target the dominant strain. Advances in genetic engineering technology mean that some platforms are easily modifiable to target specific avian influenza strains.

However, current vaccine technology against HPAI is very time intensive – and is only available in an injection. 

“Where it’s a little tricky right now is that all of the vaccines require some sort of injection. Mass application would require injections and some of them would require multiple injections over time to prolong the life of the bird,” he added.

“That becomes a logistical difficulty, not impossible, but requires a certain amount of labor in handling the birds.”

Because of this, vaccinating entire flocks against HPAI is unlikely. Instead, one scenario is buffer vaccines in poultry surrounding avian influenza hot spots, which could reduce the level incidence and potentially prevent further spread.

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