India is to commercially manufacture its first indigenously developed vaccine for low pathogenic avian influenza strain H9N2.
The inactivated vaccine developed by the Indian Agricultural Research Council-National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (ICAR-NIHSAD) was transferred to four companies to manufacture in December 2022.
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The companies are Globion India, Secunderabad; Venkateshwara Hatcheries, Pune; Indovax, Gurgaon; and Hester Biosciences, Ahmedabad.
Dr Himanshu Pathak, Secretary of the Department of Agricultural Research and Education, appreciated the efforts of the ICAR-NIHSAD scientists in development of the first indigenous vaccine for H9N2 virus and commended the Agrinnovate India (AgIn) for their efforts in the transfer of the technology to industry.
He added, the vaccine will meet the standard of the market both in India and abroad. The vaccine will contribute to increasing the income of poultry farmers by reducing economic losses due to H9N2.
The disease can reduce egg production (up to 50%) and cause respiratory illness and mortality (5-6%) in commercial flocks.
In India, infections with H9N2 were reported since 2003 and is widely prevalent. However, no vaccine was available against H9N2 in the country which belong to the G1-lineage.
Read the full report in the February 2023 issue of Asian Poultry Magazine.