Avian Influenza vaccination campaign in France

France has faced several major outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in recent years, leading to the culling of millions of poultry. To address this challenge, France has implemented a vaccination campaign aimed at protecting poultry sectors and limiting the spread of the virus.

David Corredor

Avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, has been a recurring health crisis in France. The country has faced several major outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in recent years, leading to the culling of millions of poultry. To address this challenge, France has implemented a vaccination campaign aimed at protecting poultry sectors and limiting the spread of the virus.

The need for vaccination

1. Scale of the crisis
   • France experienced a severe avian influenza outbreak in 2021-2022, resulting in the culling of over 21 million poultry.
   • Endemicity (persistence of the virus throughout the year) is suspected in wild birds across the country.
2. Biosecurity measures
   • While biosecurity measures (such as confinement, bird transfer limitations, and disinfection protocols) are essential, vaccination can complement these efforts.
   • Currently, only one vaccine for chickens (Gallus gallus species) has marketing authorization in France.
   • Applications for additional poultry species vaccines are under assessment by the French Agency for Veterinary Medicinal Products (ANMV) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

Proposed vaccination scenarios

To establish an effective vaccination strategy, ANSES (Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l’alimentation, de l’environnement et du travail) proposes three preventive vaccination scenarios: