Vaccination and surveillance of HPAI in poultry: Current status and perspectives
The International Alliance for Biological Standardization (IABS), in collaboration with the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), convened a hybrid meeting on 22–23 October 2024 at the WOAH Headquarters in Paris, France, to examine the global status of vaccination and surveillance for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in poultry. The primary objective of the meeting was to promote the acceptance of vaccination as a tool to mitigate virus transmission and reduce disease incidence. The meeting further sought to evaluate the current methodologies and effectiveness of HPAI surveillance programs in vaccinated poultry populations.
The discussions yielded several key conclusions and recommendations critical to advancing the acceptance and implementation of vaccination strategies. These included:
(1) the recognition of quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) as a sensitive, specific, and cost-effective diagnostic tool for detecting viral presence in vaccinated flocks;
(2) the endorsement of routine testing of dead birds within flocks as a highly effective measure for early outbreak detection and for demonstrating freedom from infection in vaccinated populations; and
(3) the emphasis on the systematic collection of data on circulating field strains to inform the selection of candidate vaccine antigens and optimize vaccine efficacy.
The use of sentinel birds for surveillance was considered less effective, while serological testing of vaccinated birds was deemed more appropriate for assessing immune status rather than for determining flock infection status. There was general consensus on the necessity to standardize surveillance outcomes by establishing internationally accepted confidence levels to facilitate safe and equitable trade. It was further recommended that trade policies related to vaccination and surveillance be based exclusively on scientific evidence and risk assessment.
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