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Government contracts to be placed for supply of avian influenza vaccine
The UK
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has invited tenders
to supply a further ten million doses of avian influenza vaccine for potential
use in poultry and other captive birds.
In a written
ministerial statement laid before the House, Ministers stressed that this does
not change the policy that high standards of surveillance and biosecurity, early
reporting of suspect cases and culling remain the most effective ways of
preventing avian
influenza and tackling an outbreak.
The
Chief Veterinary Officer has recommended this step be taken as a precaution to
ensure that Defra has every tool available to tackle an avian influenza
outbreak, in light of uncertainties about the future spread and nature of the
virus.
Defra has tendered for vaccine which
could be used against both H5 and H7 strains of the disease, but it will only be
used if a risk assessment and scientific evidence indicated it would help to
prevent disease spread.
This step comes after
2.3 million doses of vaccine bought earlier this year for a possible risk based
preventive vaccination of zoo birds.
For more
information, see Defra's statement on the vaccine supply tender.
Read more avian
inluenza news.
Editor WorldPoultry
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