Environment Food and Rural Affairs written question – answered at on 13 February 2006.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what vaccine is available for use in poultry to prevent avian influenza.
Currently available vaccines do not make vaccination effective or efficient as a disease control or prevention measure for avian influenza in the UK as, although vaccines are able to reduce mortality, it is likely that some vaccinated birds would still be capable of transmitting the disease if they became infected.
However, as part of our readiness for a disease outbreak, and being conscious that there was no authorised vaccine available for AI, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate has recently issued a Provisional Marketing Authorisation for the Nobilis vaccine, produced by Intervet. The use of any approved vaccine is also subject to European Community legislation on the control of avian influenza and would have to be specifically authorised by the Chief Veterinary Officer. We are continuing to work closely with vaccine manufacturers to assess information on other vaccines.
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