More than 140 key stakeholders from the Mexican poultry industry, government representatives, veterinarians, producers and leading figures from animal health research institutes attended a Ceva poultry vaccinology summit to share their expertise on avian influenza. Many of these partners were responsible for tackling the devastating outbreak of H7N3 avian influenza that devastated the industry in 2012. About 22 million birds were culled and the price of eggs more than doubled, causing temporary insecurity in the country.
The poultry sector in Mexico is very dynamic and has since bounced back. It currently produces over 60 percent of the country’s animal protein. Moreover, Mexico is the egg capital of the world with consumption per capita of 21.9 kilos per year – one egg per person per day. Unfortunately, the industry continues to be affected by avian influenza.
“(Avian influenza) is a global threat, which is beyond the reach individual parties to control. The actions undertaken in Mexico are a proven example of how veterinary professionals and all stakeholders can work together to achieve a ‘One Health’ approach,” said Jean-Charles Tissot, Ceva Latin America regional director. “This is exactly what we mean by our slogan ‘Together, beyond animal health.’”
At the first summit held in Egypt in 2012, Ceva launched its innovative vector vaccine Vectormune AI for the control of avian influenza type H5N2 in Mexico.
In Mexico, the company developed and markets an inactivated H7 type vaccine, Cevac Flu H7 K, which was used in the control of the H7N3 highly pathogenic outbreak. Ceva supplied 200 million of the 700 million doses of vaccine that government and private producers used to bring the outbreak under control. Both vaccines are now used to target the specific avian influenza disease types to ensure that the severe economic impact experienced in 2012 does not reoccur.