Poultry association calls for vaccination to prevent H7N6 avian influenza outbreak

The South African poultry industry is calling for immediate intervention to avert an outbreak of the H7N6 strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) that it is grappling with, following a year of significant losses, including the culling of 9.5-million birds. While traditionally reliant on a stamping out policy, the industry acknowledges the inefficiency of this approach against the H7N6 strain, industry organisation the South African Poultry Association (SAPA) said.