Germany: Vaccine trials against avian influenza are being conducted

The Friedrich Löffler Institute on Reems Island has started a research project on vaccination against avian influenza. First, 50 geese will be vaccinated with active ingredients from different manufacturers. Avian influenza continues to rage in Europe and other parts of the world. Currently, wild birds are the most affected, while the number of poultry infections is declining. In the EU, for example, only six outbreaks were registered in July 2023: two in France and one each in Germany, Denmark, Italy and the Netherlands. The outbreak in the Netherlands was the first in six months at a commercial poultry farm. An outbreak in Germany affected a goose farm in Schleswig-Holstein, which contained about 6,300 head. Despite this development, avian influenza remains a major economic threat to poultry farms. To find out if vaccination can successfully protect geese from the virus, scientists from the Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI) have started a project on Reems Island, North German ...