EU approves two veterinary bird flu vaccines
(Sep. 11, 2006) The European Commission said Monday it has approved two vaccines to be used against the bird flu virus in the EU member states.
The vaccines, the first to be approved by the EU executive, are Nobilis Influenza H5N2, for use in chickens, and Poulvac FluFend H5N3 RG, for use in both chickens and Pekin ducks, the most common breed of duck used for commercial meat.
Both vaccines also offer protection against the H5N1 strain of the disease, which has decimated poultry stocks in Asia and killed humans, the European Medicines Agency said.
They are administered by injection and have been found to reduce the death rate of chickens exposed to infection.
The commission said there are no outbreaks of bird flu 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. (thestaronline.com)
