Flutrop CIRAD Avian Influenza

Vaccination is a useful tool for the control of avian influenza (AI) outbreaks, but its use is forbidden in most countries worldwide because of its interference with AI screening tests and its negative impact on poultry trade. Currently licensed AI vaccines increase host resistance to the disease but have a limited impact on the virus transmission. To control or eradicate the disease, a carefully conceived vaccination strategy must be accompanied by strict bio-security measures. Some countries have, in the past, authorised vaccination under special circumstances with contrasting results, from control and disease eradication (USA, Italy) to endemism and antigenic drift of the viral strain (Mexico, Pakistan). Extensive vaccination programs are ongoing in Vietnam People’s Republic of China and Indonesia to control the H5N1 epidemic. This paper provide practical information on the available AI vaccines and associated diagnostic tests, the vaccination strategies applied in Asia and their impact on the disease epidemiology.