From Mass Culling to Smart Vaccination: A 2025 Scientific Overview of Global H5N1 Poultry Vaccination Sites and Iraq’s Vaccine Position
Dr. Majid Hamid Al-Sayegh
By late 2025, the global approach to controlling H5N1 avian influenza (Clade 2.3.4.4b) had shifted from a near-exclusive reliance on epidemic culling to integrating vaccination into strict control systems. The current technical consensus is based on two principles: First, vaccination can coexist with safe trade through post-vaccination surveillance and differentiating vaccinated from infected birds (DIVA); second, programs must be designed based on antigenic match, bird longevity, and logistical considerations. Within this framework, countries are classified into three categories: countries with documented programmes in place, countries conducting structured pilot programmes, and countries developing frameworks without routine use in broiler and breeder chickens yet.
Europe leads the “measured application” category with France. Since October 2023, France has been implementing a national vaccination program for domestic wild birds, based on two platforms: first, an inactivated (H5) vaccine combined with Newcastle with two primary doses and a seasonal booster in risk areas. Starting in May 2024, a self-amplifying mRNA (saRNA) vaccine against H5 was added. However, “biology” is only half the story; the program was coupled with strict molecular/serological surveillance, movement controls, and operational tracking. Impact analyses for the 2023–2024 season estimated that vaccination prevented hundreds of outbreaks (approximately 96–99% reduction compared to a no-vaccination scenario). Markets that had been conservative have begun to relax their restrictions as the French DIVA barriers have proven to be robust, demonstrating that vaccination is not a trade barrier when transparency and verification are integral to the design.
The Netherlands represents a gradual path for commercial chickens. Following field studies conducted by Wageningen Bioveterinary Research on laying hens that demonstrated effective protection, the government launched a pilot program in 2025 for laying flocks: in-hatchery vaccination and local egg marketing in the initial phase, with a strict DIVA regime in place until early 2027. The goal is not just to test a vaccine, but to test the entire operational system from hatchery to market under realistic regulatory conditions and build trust before any expansion.
Asia offers the longest national vaccination experience.
In China, a dual inactivated vaccine (H5+H7) has been used since 2017 as part of a “suppress + vaccinate” strategy, with regular antigen updates and increased biosecurity in poultry and aquatic birds. This has been associated with a significant reduction in H7N9 risks.
In Vietnam, H5 vaccination is a cornerstone of managing the two clade interactions (2.3.2.1c and 2.3.4.4b) through targeted vaccination schedules and monitoring of markets, slaughterhouses, and farms, with ongoing antigen reviews.
Hong Kong provides long-term evidence: commercial chickens have been vaccinated against H5 since 2003, with strict periodic checks and high integrity control of supply chains, a practical example of how vaccination + surveillance has worked reliably for decades.
In Indonesia, national vaccination against H5 was adopted in 2004 across various production systems; Programs have evolved to combine updated inactivators with vectored vaccines (rHVT-H5) applied in the hatchery to provide early protection and simplify logistics where biosecurity is uneven.
In the Middle East and North Africa, Egypt leads the pack by 2025. In addition to the historical use of H5 inactivators in commercial sectors, a triple vectored platform applied in the hatchery (rHVT carrying Marek’s + IBD + H5) was launched in February 2025. It is primarily intended for breeders and layers, with the potential to be adapted to broiler chickens in high-stress endemic environments. The strategy combines a uniform early immunity at hatch and pre-production inactivated boosters in breeder flocks to raise serological titers and ensure strong maternal immunity in broiler chicks. Effectiveness, as everywhere, depends on a controlled DIVA protocol (PCR + serology) and linking the results to movement decisions.
Latin America has moved from theory to practice.
Ecuador began vaccination in 2023 with an initial four million doses, with subsequent authorizations.
Peru issued national guidelines and operating models for H5 vaccination, with an initial focus on long-lived birds in high-risk areas.
Mexico used strategic vaccination of long-lived birds as part of its control package before later declaring the poultry sector’s epidemic situation resolved.
Colombia has formally approved vaccination and begun drafting a gradual national plan.
The details vary between these countries, but the common denominator is a transition from hesitancy to published regulatory frameworks that authorize vaccine use when risk is high.
Major exporting countries do not have routine vaccination, but are building rules. As of October 22, 2025, there is no commercial vaccination of broiler/breeder flocks in the United States, Canada, or the United Kingdom. The United States is exploring a national plan, funding research, and consulting with industry; Despite talk of conditional authorizations for updated vaccines, there has been no field application in commercial flocks yet. In Canada, a task force is in place, and it is expected that any future application will begin with long-lived birds with domestic marketing. In the United Kingdom, the Joint Task Force Report (July 2025) indicated that some older antigens (such as H5N2) are incompatible with 2.3.4.4b, and that newer vaccines are under review. In other words, there is active institutional preparation, even if vaccination has not begun.
Iraq’s Position and a Realistic Path Forward
In October 2025, Iraq recorded a severe H5N1 outbreak in the Bashiqa area of Nineveh Governorate in northern Iraq, resulting in the loss of approximately 12,000 birds. This was followed by a widespread ban on imports from several countries as a precautionary measure. These steps demonstrate rapid risk management, but there is still no national poultry vaccination program. Iraq’s operational capacity (hatcheries, veterinary networks, integrator companies) suggests that implementation is feasible if three enablers, learned from France, the Netherlands, and Asia, are in place:
– Selecting the appropriate starting populations. Launching a structured pilot program in long-lived and higher-value/risk birds, i.e., breeders and layers (and, where appropriate, ducks or turkeys), before considering broiler chickens. Longer cycles provide sufficient time to measure the impact of vaccination on shedding and transmission and to conduct full DIVA cycles.
– Selecting appropriate platforms. Administer an rHVT-H5 vector vaccine in the hatchery (on the day of hatching) to ensure uniform early protection and clean logistics. In the broiler stock, inactivated H5 boosters are added before production to raise titers and transfer maternal immunity to broiler chickens. Antigens must match the dominant genetic/antigenic background (2.3.4.4b) in close coordination with reference laboratories.
– Prove the program through DIVA. Publish a transparent testing plan: scheduled PCR of pharyngeal/glomerular swabs (pre-specified sample sizes and intervals) and serology that distinguishes vaccine response from field infection, and link results to digital tracking of batches and movement permits (such as pre-movement inspection from restricted areas). This convinces markets and producers that vaccination reduces risk without obstructing oversight.
A controlled Iraqi pilot program could begin in selected governorates with local marketing of the product in the initial phase (similar to the Dutch model), and then expand as data demonstrate a reduction in PCR prevalence, adequate Ct distribution, and stable serotypes in vaccinated herds. In parallel, biosecurity measures, including the flow of people and vehicles, barn entry protocols, cleaning and disinfection, and water and bedding management, remain essential; vaccination does not replace biosecurity but rather increases its returns.
