The European Union (EU) has skilled an epidemic of HPAI in wild and home birds in recent times. Areas with dense populations of poultry farms are at specific threat of HPAI transmission. Vaccination could be thought of along with already carried out measures (e.g. surveillance, biosecurity and early detections) to stop and management the unfold of HPAI.

The European Fee requested an summary of the obtainable HPAI vaccines, their efficacy towards at the moment circulating viruses and an evaluation of assorted vaccination schemes to tell choices on doable vaccination methods. EFSA was additionally mandated to evaluate the surveillance and threat mitigation measures in vaccinated areas and farms. These matters will probably be addressed in a separate scientific opinion, with anticipated finalisation in March 2024.
EFSA issued a scientific opinion on this matter in 2007: within the present opinion, details about obtainable vaccines and their traits was collected by way of a literature search, and in a survey that was launched by the European Medicines Company (EMA) and disseminated by EFSA and the World Organisation for Animal Well being (WOAH). Information had been additionally collected by session of the EU Reference Laboratory (EURL) and the Nationwide Reference Laboratory (NRL) community, and instantly from pharmaceutical corporations’ web sites.
The effectiveness of vaccination methods was simulated utilizing mathematical modelling.
The info used had been revealed literature (there have been no restrictions on publication language or examine location); survey information; information on poultry inhabitants in France, Italy and the Netherlands; information on HPAI outbreaks in France, Italy and the Netherlands; information on pre-emptive culling in France, Italy and the Netherlands.

Limitations/uncertainties
Information on safety efficacy and period of safety of accessible vaccines towards HPAI are non-harmonised and few; due to this fact, the detailed description and comparability of those vaccines isn’t doable.

• Few vaccines are examined on poultry species aside from chickens.
• Area research on the effectiveness of vaccination to cease virus transmission are scarce.

Outcomes and their implications
Outcomes

• Up to date data was supplied on varieties and traits of accessible vaccines towards HPAI.
• There is just one authorised vaccine towards HPAI in chickens within the EU.
• Insights had been supplied on completely different vaccination methods for controlling HPAI in poultry, i.e. emergency protecting vaccination in areas round a HPAI outbreak and preventive vaccination in areas and farms the place the an infection isn’t current but. 
• Suggestions had been supplied for future scientific research on HPAI vaccines.

Implications

• EFSA’s scientific recommendation on HPAI vaccines and vaccination methods will inform EU Member State coverage makers and threat managers about potential prevention and management methods for HPAI, thus enabling knowledgeable choices on HPAI prevention and outbreak management. 
• The recommendation from EFSA could information future growth and use of vaccines towards HPAI.

Key suggestions for coverage makers and threat managers

• Preventive vaccination is the optimum vaccination technique to minimise the variety of outbreaks and period of epidemic and ought to be carried out in probably the most inclined and infectious poultry species in high-risk transmission areas. A number of administration (i.e. booster vaccinations) can be utilized to boost safety.
• In case of an outbreak, emergency protecting vaccination is advisable in a 3-km radius of the outbreak in high-risk transmission areas.
• Vaccine efficacy ought to be monitored for all vaccination methods.
• Vaccination ought to complement and never exchange different preventive and management measures, reminiscent of an infection monitoring in birds, early detection and biosecurity, and is advisable as a part of an built-in illness management strategy.

Supply: EFSA