Ceva Animal Health stresses why vaccine development is crucial to tackling the increasing threat of avian influenza.
Avian influenza has become endemic worldwide, threatening poultry production, food security, and even posing a potential risk to human health. Animal health company Ceva Animal Health is convinced that vaccination offers a powerful tool to support global efforts.
Vaccination not only reduces outbreaks and slows the spread between flocks, but also lowers the potential for human transmission. It offers an alternative to the devastating practice of depopulation, supporting animal welfare and higher levels of sustainability. This not only improves the state of animal health, but also contributes to a broader ‘One Health’ approach.
Ceva is investing in R&D to develop practical alternatives to existing biosecurity measures, as part of its One Health vision. For over a decade, Ceva has effectively vaccinated chickens against avian influenza. The Innovation Platform spoke with the company to find out more about what it is doing to prevent the spread of avian influenza.
How significant of a threat is avian flu to the global population?
Avian influenza has a serious impact, not only on animal health, but also food security, and at some point on human health. Strengthening protective measures, such as enhanced biosecurity and robust surveillance programmes, is therefore essential. Increased surveillance and early detection protocols in both wild and domestic birds help contain outbreaks quickly.
The past year, since last October 2024, has been, once again, very intense in terms of the number of cases of H5 – especially in North and Central Europe (UK, NL, DE, PL, HU and IT) and in North America. (source FAO: 10 Oct 2024 to 10 Oct 2025).
The significant impact of avian influenza on Europe’s poultry industry underscores the urgent need for effective preventative measures. Recent successes in vaccination strategies highlight the potential of preventative medicine to mitigate the effects of such epidemics and restore stability to the sector.
By promoting integrated disease management, combining vaccination when possible, surveillance, and biosecurity, Ceva contributes to a global strategy that minimises the risk of viral mutations or reassortments that could lead to human transmission. Moreover, preventing animals from becoming ill not only reduces the chance of disease transmission but also enhances their welfare. Healthier animals live in better conditions, experience less stress, and require fewer treatments, supporting both ethical farming and the broader goals of the One Health initiative.
The World Health Organization (WHO) continues to monitor the situation closely and recommends maintaining vigilance and strengthening global surveillance systems to detect the spread of avian influenza viruses as early as possible.
What does the present scientific and regulatory landscape look like when it comes to the prevention of avian flu? Does it need to change?
The current scientific and regulatory landscape is not a monolith and is very much multi-layered, as it gathers biosecurity, surveillance, culling and depopulation strategies and, increasingly, vaccination.
However, these come with significant variation across regions and regulatory regimes:
- Governmental authorities in the UK and beyond are actively implementing measures to control avian influenza outbreaks.
- In case of positive cases, restriction of movement and gathering restrictions on poultry may be imposed in affected areas, along with strict measures of cleaning and disinfection.
- Authorities have enhanced biosecurity by expanding surveillance to more wild bird habitats and strengthening regional co-ordination. Early warning systems and rapid response teams are part of the quick containment plan. European-level co-operation will also be critical to monitor migratory bird pathways and prevent cross-border spread.
- Biosecurity and surveillance remain first‑line: On‑farm measures (wild‑bird exclusion, hygienic practices, monitoring of flocks, movement controls) are standard around the world. Surveillance of wild birds, domestic flocks and reporting to organisations such as the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) is ongoing. Ceva emphasises the importance of epidemiological surveillance.
- Vaccination can be a critical additional tool to implement. Recent vaccination successes demonstrate the power of preventative medicine in managing epidemics and stabilising the sector. A campaign in France, focused on ducks, notably reduced outbreaks, boosting French poultry production by 12.1% in 2024, surpassing 2019 levels. Building on this success, France has made this a yearly campaign each October.
- Vaccination, combined with robust biosecurity measures, contributes to securing the future of global poultry production, food security, and human health. A tailored, risk-based approach ensures programmes meet the specific needs of breeds and production systems.
How is Ceva Animal Health helping to manage outbreaks of avian influenza?
As the virus is endemic in wild birds, we typically observe seasonal spikes in autumn and winter, driven by migration and the increased prevalence of respiratory diseases. We can expect a rise in the number of cases each autumn and winter as migratory activity intensifies and adds to the risk already posed by sedentary wild birds. Therefore, it is essential to maintain a strict focus on biosecurity, surveillance, and quick control strategies.
Ceva has long been at the forefront of developing vaccines that reduce outbreaks and slow the spread between flock, contributing to ongoing research and development. Ceva is investing in R&D to develop practical alternatives to existing biosecurity measures as part of its One Health vision. As the historical world leader in vector vaccines for poultry and the world leader in broiler vaccination, Ceva prioritises mitigating the impact of animal diseases.
For over a decade, Ceva has effectively vaccinated chickens against avian influenza. It developed a practical vaccine for layers and broilers using innovative technology on a 50-year-old Marek’s disease vaccine. It has also overcome maternal antibodies that hinder vaccine absorption in day-old chicks, ensuring early immunity. Additionally, Ceva has registered a next-generation vaccine for ducks in France – a first in Europe. The Ceva vaccine offers hatchery primary vaccination, enhancing quality and reducing biosecurity risks. It includes a 28-day booster within the regular vaccination schedule and features a DIVA design, which distinguishes between infected and vaccinated animals, aiding in disease surveillance and epidemic control. Additionally, its small packaging suits various farm sizes, minimising dose wastage.
How can the vaccination of poultry and domestic birds help to manage influenza outbreaks amongst the wider bird population, including wild birds?
Vaccinating poultry and domestic birds can play a key role in managing avian influenza beyond individual farms: by reducing infections and viral shedding in domestic populations, vaccination lowers environmental viral pressure and therefore the risk of spill-over to wild birds, while also interrupting the reinforcement cycle.
How is Ceva managing disease surveillance in birds?
While surveillance is primarily the remit of governments, veterinary authorities and research institutes, Ceva plays a supporting and enhancing role in disease surveillance through multiple avenues:
- With their DIVA‑capable vaccines, Ceva enables serological differentiation of vaccinated versus infected birds. This implies that, when outbreak investigations or monitoring are conducted, veterinarians and authorities can more easily distinguish whether a bird has been exposed to field virus or just vaccinated. This improves surveillance accuracy and tracing of infections.
- Ceva participates in academic/industry partnerships: for instance, the collaboration with research centres and further academia.
- The company supports wildlife programmes (e.g., the Ceva Wildlife Research Fund, supporting vaccination and monitoring in zoo birds.)
- Ceva invests in vaccine delivery and monitoring systems: its focus on hatchery vaccination means it is also closer to early‑life monitoring of chick immunity and vaccine uptake. Its ‘Less is More’ approach for layers emphasises training, services, and monitoring as part of the vaccination journey.
Can you explain more about Ceva’s ‘One Health’ vision and what the company is doing to prevent future outbreaks of avian influenza?
Ceva’s ‘One Health’ vision acknowledges that animal health, human health, and environmental health are inseparable. In other words, protecting animal populations (especially those closely linked to humans or ecosystems) helps protect human health and ecosystem integrity. This is even more important when we know that more than 70% of the emerging human infectious diseases come from animals.
Ceva’s mission includes helping feed a growing human population via healthy animal production, preventing zoonoses and promoting positive human‑animal‑environment interactions.
