Press Release: Commission gives green light for veterinary vaccines against avian flu

The European Commission has given Community-wide authorisation to two avian influenza vaccines. This should ensure that effective vaccines are available for use throughout the EU during the autumn/winter, which is the period of greatest risk of a bird flu epidemic. There are no outbreaks of avian influenza in domestic or wild birds in the EU at the moment, but the risk of the disease will increase in the coming weeks as the autumn migration period begins. Both of the vaccines which have been approved reduce mortality and virus excretion in vaccinated chickens exposed to infection. The two vaccines concerned, Nobilis Influenza H5N2 and Poulvac FluFend H5N3 RG, are inactivated, adjuvanted avian influenza vaccines for administration by injection. Nobilis Influenza H5N2 is for use in chickens and Poulvac FluFend H5N3 RG is for use in both chickens and Pekin ducks.