Bird flu: Germany's STIKO recommends a vaccine for the first time – for two job groups
Laboratory staff and animal disease responders should be vaccinated against zoonotic influenza A(H5). The Robert Koch Institute sees no increased risk for the general population.
Symbolic image · Photo: Photo Credit: Cynthia Goldsmith Content Providers: CDC/ Courtesy of Cynthia Goldsmith; Jacqueline Katz; Sherif R. Zaki / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain (cropped and resized)
Germany's Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) is recommending vaccination against zoonotic influenza A(H5), commonly called bird flu, for the first time. According to the recommendation published in the Robert Koch Institute's Epidemiological Bulletin 42/2026, it applies to two groups: laboratory staff who work specifically with these viruses, and people working in animal disease control and outbreak response. Two doses three weeks apart are planned, ideally before any contact with the virus. Employers or the responsible authority handle the offer, organisation and costs, and the shots are to be given mainly through occupational health services. The vaccine does not replace protective equipment.
STIKO says the aim is to prevent severe illness and to reduce the risk of the virus adapting to humans. The committee writes that the vaccination could thus help reduce the risk of an influenza pandemic. No human A(H5) infections have been detected in Germany or the EU so far. European and German authorities rate the risk for occupationally exposed people as low to moderate, and the RKI sees no increased risk for the general population. According to Deutsches Ärzteblatt, however, detections in animals have increased, including in red foxes, raccoons and domestic cats. The seasonal flu vaccine does not protect against A(H5).
Three A(H5) vaccines are licensed in the EU; according to Ärzteblatt, only Zoonotic Influenza Vaccine Seqirus, licensed in 2023, matches the virus variant currently circulating in Europe. The vaccines are not routinely available in Germany. The RKI told the publication that no reliable date can currently be given for when A(H5) vaccine will be available in Germany. Clinical efficacy data are lacking because human cases are so rare; after two doses, high antibody rates were seen with no relevant safety signals. STIKO rates the evidence as limited. In Finland, only 8.6 percent of the target group had been vaccinated by January 2025.
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