Bird flu vaccine tested in the Netherlands

“The vaccines not only protected poultry used in the laboratory from disease symptoms, but also prevented the spread of bird flu,” the government said in a statement.

One vaccine was produced by the French company Ceva Animal HEALTH and the other by the German Boehringer Ingelheim, according to an official document on the website of the Dutch government.

Last year, bird flu swept across the world, killing more than 200 million birds, six million of them in the Netherlands alone, driving egg prices skyrocketing and raising government concerns about human transmission of the virus.

Some countries, including CHINA , are already vaccinating against avian influenza, and as the virus appears to have become endemic, anti-vaccine governments in some other countries are reconsidering. 

As part of the European programme, the Netherlands is testing avian influenza vaccines on laying hens, France is testing ducks, and Italy is testing turkeys. Most of these tests are based on existing vaccines and are tailored to the specific strain of H5N1 that is circulating in Europe.

The Wageningen Bioveterinary Research Office, northeast of Amsterdam, tested four chicken vaccines before choosing Ceva Animal Health and Boehringer Ingelheim. According to the white paper, the other two vaccines tested were produced by the Bulgarian companies Huvepharma and Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD), respectively.

“I am delighted that we have two vaccines with which we can move the avian influenza vaccination process forward,” said the Dutch Minister of Health. Agriculture Pit Adema said in a statement.

Field trials will be conducted to see if laboratory-based vaccines are effective when used in a wider setting.

The test should take more than a year to give an idea of ​​how long chickens remain immune after vaccination, Adema said in a letter to the chairman of the House of Representatives.