France to vaccinate against bird flu following successful tests.

France plans to launch a vaccination programme against bird flu in the autumn after tests on the vaccination of ducks showed "satisfactory effectiveness". The country has been the worst hit in the EU and has already pre-ordered 80 million vaccines. The tests demonstrated a good control of virus transmission in vaccinated mule ducks, a differentiation between infected and vaccinated animals, and a reduction in virus excretion by vaccinated birds. France has mandated two companies to develop bird flu vaccines for ducks, while other EU countries have also been carrying out tests.