Immunization agents and methods of use

A method of immunization of a mammalian subject comprising (a) administering to an inoculation site region in the body of the mammalian subject a composition comprising an effective amount of a replication-competent controlled herpesvirus which is a recombinant virus in which one or more replication-essential genes have been placed under the control of a gene switch that is inserted in the genome of the recombinant virus and that can be activated deliberately, and (b) exposing the inoculation site region in the body of the mammalian subject to a localized activation treatment that activates the recombinant virus to undergo a round of replication in the inoculation site region wherein the replication-competent controlled herpesvirus comprises a gene encoding an influenza virus antigen.