Vaccination and Surveillance for HPAI in Poultry : Current Situation and Perspectives

High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza (HPAI) in poultry, wild birds and wildlife mammals is a global challenge. The spread of the H5Nx 2.3.4.4b lineage of HPAI is now threatening to become truly global. Whilst the epidemiological situation differs across continents, veterinary authorities and the poultry industry all over the world must deal with a new situation where trade and production are constantly threatened by a virus that is entrenched in wild birds and parts of the poultry population, making a renewed approach necessary.

Wider use of avian influenza vaccination could increase sustainable poultry production, improve animal welfare, reduce economic damage, limit human infections, contribute to the protection of wildlife and increase consumers and animal welfare acceptance of control programs. Although fully compatible with WOAH standards, poultry vaccination creates new challenges in surveillance and trade.

In the wake of the World Organisation for Animal Health’s (WOAH) Animal Health Forum, held during WOAH’s General Session in May 2023, and the IABS October 2022 workshop on HPAI, WOAH and IABS are announcing a follow-up meeting in October 2024: Vaccination and Surveillance for HPAI in poultry: Current situation and perspectives.

This workshop is intended to discuss how to implement surveillance in vaccinated populations and all further aspects touching HPAI vaccination.

The workshop will be reviewing all the existing data with participation by a wide variety of stakeholders (WHO, OFFLU, FAO, WTO, governments, poultry breeding and biological companies, animal welfare organizations, human health, scientists, etc) and will be concluded by a panel establishing recommendations.