Dr Sims has been working on avian influenza for 40 years as a government veterinarian and as a consultant to various organisations/governments through the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation and his consulting companies in Hong Kong and Australia. In 1997, Dr Sims was a key player in developing and implementing successful preventive measures for high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI), following the outbreak of A(H5N1) HPAI in Hong Kong SAR that caused severe zoonotic disease in humans.
He recognised the value of vaccination against avian influenza in places where biosecurity measures as practiced could not prevent all infections and assisted the Government of Vietnam in implementing vaccination in 2005. For the past 8 years, he has been working to overcome the perceived barriers to use of vaccination, all of which can be overcome or managed.
He also developed the concept of avian influenza vaccination stewardship to ensure vaccines are used effectively in combination with other measures, including appropriate changes to the way poultry are reared and sold. In 2024 he was awarded a lifetime Australian biosecurity award for his voluntary activities, especially related to avian influenza prevention. He has published multiple guidance documents, book chapters and scientific papers on avian influenza.
Related Session/Presentation:
Keynote Paper 3
Strategies to Prevent and Control Avian Influenza in Poultry
