Technical, epidemiological and financial implications of large-scale national vaccination campaigns to control HPAI H5N1.

Abstract

Abstract This paper reviews the literature on highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) vaccination of poultry and the resulting technical, epidemiological and financial implications for the control of HPAI H5N1 through national vaccination campaigns. Large-scale HPAI vaccination programmes have been implemented in a number of Southeast Asian countries and in Egypt, requiring substantial financial and human resources. HPAI remains endemic in these countries and it thus appears warranted to comprehensively assess all major aspects of large-scale vaccination campaigns for the control of HPAI. The paper reviews existing data and literature on HPAI vaccines, HPAI epidemics and large-scale HPAI H5N1 vaccination programmes and draws on calculations carried out by the authors to assess and evaluate the potential contribution and the financial implications of mass vaccination in the control of HPAI H5N1 in domestic poultry in developing countries. We conclude that the high and recurrent costs, technical difficulties and epidemiological drawbacks of large-scale, open-ended, blanket vaccination programmes in national efforts to control HPAI call for careful targeting of vaccination in national control strategies, which 'intelligently' combine available disease control measures.