Belize: Newcastle disease outbreak

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.caribbean360.com/News/Caribbean/Stories/2008/11/24/NEWS0000006605.html

Belize on alert after outbreak of poultry disease

BELMOPAN, Belize, November 24, 2008 - Agricultural authorities in Belize are moving swiftly to control an outbreak of the highly contagious Newcastle disease in poultry.

The Belize Agricultural Health Authority (BAHA) has revealed that it received official confirmation from the United States Department of Agriculture Laboratory in Ames, Iowa that poultry specimens submitted from Belize have tested positive for the disease.

It is the first time the virulent form has been found in this Caribbean country although the non-virulent form of the disease is known to occur in Belize with no economic loss in poultry flocks. Virulent Newcastle Disease is a highly contagious, generalised viral disease of poultry and other birds. An outbreak in chickens may be so severe that almost all birds of an affected flock die within 72 hours without noticeable signs.

"The present outbreak is being controlled with the assistance of government authorities, industry and international organisations," a government statement said.

"The disease has no public health implications for people not occupationally exposed. The poultry meat is safe for human consumption. BAHA has stepped up inspection at all slaughter plants to ensure that all birds slaughtered are from healthy flocks."

The authorities have urged producers to inspect their poultry regularly, maintain good biosecurity practices and report suspicious clinical signs and unusual deaths promptly to BAHA, the Belize Poultry Association or the Ministry of Agriculture.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Belize: Newcastle disease outbreak

Source: http://www.7newsbelize.com/sstory.php?nid=12712

Sick Chickens in Spanish Lookout
posted (November 25, 2008)

As Belizeans start to prepare for Christmas, agricultural health officials have also been busy ensuring that there will be a healthy supply of foods popular around this time of the year. The concern was recently raised after an outbreak of a virus that aggressively attacked hundreds of chickens that will affect market supply. About three weeks ago farmers from three of the biggest poultry producing factories in Spanish Lookout started noticing that their chickens were sick and dying. They quickly contacted the Belize Agricultural Health Authority to investigate. Samples were taken and a test conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture laboratory confirmed the presence of virulent Newscastle Disease. Since the diagnosis BAHA has taken aggressive measures to control the disease. Today Jacqueline Godwin traveled out west to find out what is being done and whether or not the outbreak will affect the supply of poultry and eggs for Christmas.

Jacqueline Godwin Reporting,
We do not know what has been the economic loss to the three chicken farms affected here in Spanish Lookout but what we do know is that a total of 20,000 birds had to be killed. Now the Belize Agricultural Health Authority has already implemented measures to prevent the spread of this highly contagious virus known as the Newcastle Disease which primarily attacks chickens and other birds.

Because poultry is one of the Mennonite community?s main income earners the Chairman of Spanish Lookout Henry Dueck says they reacted quickly to control and contain the outbreak

Jacqueline Godwin,
Henry is this situation contained?

Henry Dueck, Chairman - Spanish Lookout
?Yes as far as we know it is under control, we have done everything we could, everything possible to get rid of those sick birds and as far as we know every thing is under control.?

Just how the farms got contaminated is anybody?s guess, but the Mennonite officials believe the virus may have been brought in by the recent flood that did greatly affect the area.

Dr. Victor Gongora, Dir. of Animal health ? BAHA
?So when the mortality started it wasn?t just one dramatic everything died on one day so they tried different treatments as they normally do and when they realize this was beyond what they were able to do they contacted us.?

According to BAHA?s Director of Animal Health, Dr. Victor Gongora in 1997 there was a similar outbreak in Belize. Today they are encouraging poultry farmers and producers to put in place a good bio security plan as a preventative measure.

Dr. Victor Gongora,
?They have what they call their bio-security plan but it is not one that would prevent especially prevent a disease like what we have now from coming into their farms.?

BAHA has closed the three affected poultry farms and vaccinated the remaining chicken population located in other pens in the restricted areas.

Dr. Victor Gongora,
?So the vaccination program has been intensified that restricted area and has already been done throughout Spanish Lookout and we have advised all other communities, especially the commercial growers, that they should step up on their vaccinations and their bio-security. So not just say I will vaccinate my birds and then go on, you have to control all movements through your farm and also vaccinate your birds. We have an emergency response plan and we are also basing our response on the Australian emergency plan which is a very good plan and we?ll apply whatever measures need to be done to destroy that virus factory and to contain it there.?

The virus is only harmful to humans when someone comes in direct contact with an infected area. So far, two such cases have been reported.

Dr. Victor Gongora,
?This disease, it is the second time we are reporting it in Belize and it is the virulent form so we do have the milder form of the disease and we always vaccinate for this disease in Belize. Now with the virulent form, virulent means when it comes it is going to kill quickly. So when it came, and we have evidence to believe that it just came on those dates that I was tell you, and so there is no history of it being around for some time for birds to be sick and being sent to slaughter and when it came it killed them so quickly that there was no sick bird to really slaughter, they died of the disease. And the other food safety factor is that the disease does not affect human from the food, from the meat or the eggs. It would affect if we are, as I said the virus factory, if I as a vet goes into that farm trying to look at sick birds, picking them up and opening them up, then of course I am exposed to that virus and I can get a congentivities, pink eye. We one of our people and one of the farmers who got pink eye. It was mild and within two days it was over and we haven?t heard any other reports and that is about it for human health that this virus would cause.?

But with the recent outbreak, now comes the concern about whether or not there will be enough eggs and chickens for Christmas. Chairman Henry Dueck says there will be a healthy supply of chickens and turkeys but there will be a shortage of eggs.

Henry Dueck,
?Eggs I am pretty sure there will be a shortage. The reason is that we were a little short on eggs and because of this we had three hen flocks that died and those were some of the bigger ones so I am sure there will be a shortage of eggs for this Christmas.?

And that is one of the reasons why BAHA has already started the process to import eggs into the country as there is always a high demand this time of the year.

Dr. Victor Gongora,
?I am already getting calls from people that are saying I need so many eggs because I produce cakes for Christmas and don?t tell me I will not have eggs.?

A concern BAHA says they will address in time for people to get their supply of eggs. Jacqueline Godwin reporting for 7NEWS.

Tonight the Mennonite community will be meeting to discuss the way forward and on Thursday BAHA and other health authorities will do the same with poultry farmers and producers to educate them on the Newcastle Disease and what they can do to protect their farms. We understand for the three poultry farmers in Spanish Lookout the Newcastle Disease totally wiped out their production and those families now have to start all over again.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Belize: Newcastle disease outbreak

Source: http://www.lovefm.com/ndisplay.php?nid=9247

VIRULENT NEWCASTLE DISEASE SPREADS TO OTHER DISTRICTS
December 23, 2008

Virulent Newcastle Disease, a very contagious bird disease, has spread to backyard poultry in other areas in the Cayo District; it has also spread to the Belize and Stann Creek Districts. Doctor Victor Gongora is the Director of Animal Health at the Belize Agricultural Health Authority.

Doctor Victor Gongora; Director of Animal Health, Belize Agricultural Health Authority

?The Virulent Newcastle Disease was first confirmed in Belize in November in a poultry farm in Spanish Lookout. Subsequently in spread to neighboring farms within the same restricted area. We had a quarantine and we controlled movements within Spanish Lookout but then we found out that the virus was similar to a pet bird isolation done in California when they had the big outbreak in the United States. We have done further samples in the United States and they have also shown that the situation in Belize is similar to that which occurred back then. We then assumed that the virus probably got to Spanish Lookout farm through wild birds because the birds in that particular area were not vaccinated. This made them totally susceptible and succumbed to the virulent virus.?

Doctor Gongora gives an idea of the control measures that must be taken.

Doctor Victor Gongora; Director of Animal Health, Belize Agricultural Health Authority

?Once you had that infected flock, neighboring flocks would normally get infected. One of the first control measures would be to completely destroy all the birds within the 3 kilometer area. The quarantine would also be cleaned and disinfected. It will not be easy to destroy all the birds because we do not yet have a final compensation program. It is very difficult to destroy birds that look healthy and not compensate. The affected farmers did agree to the destruction of the birds.?

Public health is also a major issue of concern for residents of the affected areas.

Doctor Victor Gongora; Director of Animal Health, Belize Agricultural Health Authority

?The public has shown concern about the public health aspect of it. They have been asking if they can get the disease. No it is not a human adapted virus. It is totally for birds; humans only get a mild eye infection if they are handling the virus. The possibility is only there if you are handling sick birds or the live vaccine. Our experience has shown that of all the people working with us handling a lot of sick birds, only 2 people reports of people getting an eye infection. There were mild eye infections.?

Doctor Gongora says that the spread of the virus will be studied and backyard poultry will be vaccinated so that we can be declared free of the virus in three years. Gongora also says that the disease is not affecting the supply of turkey.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Belize: Newcastle disease outbreak

Source: http://www.lovefm.com/ndisplay.php?nid=9274

NEWCASTLE DISEASE CONTINUE TO SPREAD
December 30, 2008

Virulent Newcastle Disease is continuing to spread and residents in the newly affected areas are concerned about the effects of the disease on birds and humans. Doctor Victor Gongora is the Director of Animal Health at the Belize Agricultural Health Authority.

Doctor Victor Gongora; Director of Animal Health, Belize Agricultural Health Authority

?We have been responding to different calls from farmers that have reported that they have sick chickens. Of course some of these sick chickens can be showing symptoms of other diseases and not Newcastle. Out concern is that it is not something influenza or other exotic disease. We do respond to the calls and investigate properly. So far we have been identifying cases in the Belize District, Cayo District and the Stann Creek District. In the Belize District it is only from Burrell Boom, and we have a report from Double Head Cabbage. In the Cayo District I would say most of the villages have infected birds. They are calling us for vaccination; it is not because they have a problem, they just want to prevent it. Because of the Christmas the labs are closed but as soon as the holiday is over we will have the vaccines available through the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry will be vaccinating.?

Once the birds have been infected with the disease, there is no real treatment to prevent death. Doctor Gongora lists some of the symptoms of the disease.

Doctor Victor Gongora; Director of Animal Health, Belize Agricultural Health Authority

?The clinical signs of Newcastle disease include looking sick and death follows very quickly. So within a day your sick chickens will be dead. The other ones we are noticing are swollen heads; they may be gasping and a lot of farmers reported hearing a respiratory sound coming from the birds. Shortly after the farmers hears that sound the bird collapses and dies. Other clinical signs include a green diarrhea. Basically it is a upper respiratory disease.?

Doctor Gongora also points out the fact that the only way to fight the disease is to vaccinate birds who are not yet infected. There is no treatment to prevent death so once a bird becomes infected it dies soon after. According to Doctor Gongora those who handle infected birds have complained of a mild eye infection but the disease does not affect humans in any other way.

Doctor Victor Gongora; Director of Animal Health, Belize Agricultural Health Authority

?There is no problem with eating the chicken of the eggs. Sometimes we eat the raw eggs. These things will not cause any problems. The prevention for the disease is vaccination as well as bio-security. Do not go and visit where you know chickens are sick and then go to your chicken farm. The vaccines are available in Belize right now but for commercial producer. The size of the vaccine is for 25,000 birds and it costs about $95.00. We will train the ministry personnel to apply it in the different villages. These vaccines will be applied in the eye directly to provide an immediate protection.?

Those interested in getting their birds vaccinated or and finding out more about virulent Newcastle disease can call the Belize Agricultural Health Authority at telephone number 8-2-4-4-8-9-9.