Project Detail |
Advancing avian influenza control in poultry
Avian influenza, or bird flu, is an infectious disease in birds caused by type A influenza viruses. The disease impacts the poultry industry economically and poses public health concerns due to its potential for transmission to humans. Funded by the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions programme, the EPHYFLU project aims to investigate the transmission of the H9N2 avian influenza virus in Bangladeshi poultry using advanced mechanistic models and high-quality sequence data. Researchers will integrate genomic data into epidemic models and evaluate public health interventions. Project findings have the potential to improve avian influenza control in Bangladesh through informed policy recommendations.
Poultry production has risen as the main livestock sector worldwide, with this growth being primarily driven by low and middle income countries such as Bangladesh. Unfortunately, the high circulation of avian influenza in domestic flocks undermines economic and societal benefits of poultry production in this country and raises significant concerns for human health. Nonetheless, avian influenza transmission in Bangladeshi poultry remains poorly characterised. To fill this gap, the EPHYFLU project will shed light on the transmission patterns of H9N2 avian influenza virus, the most common strain in Bangladesh, by combining state-of-the-art mechanistic models and high quality sequence data. In particular, this project will develop novel methods to leverage genomic data to inform epidemic models, which will be used to assess the effectiveness of a range of veterinary public health interventions aiming to reduce H9N2 avian influenza transmission. This program will result in novel policy recommendations for avian influenza control in Bangladesh, and contribute to the integration of phylogenetic and mechanistic modelling. |