“Bird flu is a serious disease that has severely affected the poultry sector,” said Dutch Agriculture Minister Piet Adema. “That affects both the animals and the entrepreneurs and of course many wild birds have died as a result. We are therefore taking action together to reduce the number of infections in kept poultry.”
I slide towards the stall
Previous research in the laboratory at Wageningen Bioveterinary Research (WBVR) used two vaccines that are effective against the spread of the virus. Now it is important to also test these vaccines outside the laboratory. Under practical conditions in the poultry house, the effectiveness of a vaccine may be different than under controlled conditions in a laboratory. In a poultry house, for example, the housing and the stable climate are different, the animals are vaccinated against more diseases and there are other germs present in the house that could influence the effectiveness of a vaccine. It is important that the vaccines not only provide protection against symptoms of illness, but above all prevent the spread of the bird flu virus.
Wageningen University & Research (WUR), Royal GD (Animal Health Service) and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Utrecht University are responsible for this practical research.
Scale up
At the start of the field trial, the chicks are divided into different test groups. During the trial, the chickens are intensively monitored and controlled, in line with the new European regulation. This field trial is a scientific study and the products from the vaccinated chickens are not marketed.
Chickens are now also vaccinated against various diseases.
If the first results in the second quarter of 2024 are favorable, the vaccination project will be scaled up to several poultry farms. Subject to European approval. Attention will also be paid to the effects of vaccination on the trade in poultry products and the setting up of a monitoring program. This surveillance program is necessary to detect as quickly as possible any contamination on a vaccinated farm, which could still happen despite vaccination.
2023-09-19 15:41:43
#title
