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Evelien Germeraad Interview
Vaccination against AI seems within reach
There’s no need to explain to what extent Avian influenza (AI) affects the global poultry business. This highly contagious and lethal avian disease causes not just massive economic damage, but as a zoonotic disease also threatens human health. Pharmaceutic companies are making progress however, to develop vaccines against AI. Wageningen Bioveterinary Research (WBVR), part of Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands, tested four of such possible vaccines. After laboratory research, two of these vaccines seem promising, says researcher Evelien Germeraad of WBVR.
There’s not just one strain of Avian influenza (AI) to combat. In the last decade there were different subtypes of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus, according to Evelien Germeraad. Together with a number of other specialists, Evelien belongs to the research team at Wageningen Bioveterinary Research (WBVR) in Lelystad (Netherlands), the institute that currently investigates the effectiveness of possible vaccines together with partners from Utrecht University and Wageningen University.
“If we go back to the year 2003, the High Pathogenic (HP) H7 AI strain severely struck the poultry business in The Netherlands”, says Evelien. In those days about 30 million birds were culled by the Dutch authorities to combat and prevent further spreading of the disease. In the year 2014, there was another outbreak, this time caused by a HP H5N8 virus. Poultry at 5 farms was infected. From 2016 until 2020 several farms were infected.
“The most recent outbreak started in October 2021 and is not officially under control yet (May 2023). This outbreak is much more severe and the largest outbreak in Europe thus far. Millions of birds were culled since the virus was first detected, not just in The Netherlands, but across Europe. And HPAI is not limited to Europe only, but spread to all corners of the world. It is truly difficult to eradicate”.
The AI virus H5N1 that circulates at the moment originates from waterfowl from Siberia. These birds migrate to more southern located countries in Europe during the winter season. Here, these birds reside under milder conditions. These migrating birds convey the disease with them, affecting poultry flocks, either by their droppings during the flight, or in the vicinity of whe...
