Jeanne Hugo
Resident
Indonesia’s H5N1 Poultry Problems
(Gainesville, Florida) Dr. Gary Butcher, a world poultry expert explains, partially, the re-emergence of H5N1 in Indonesia. “The significance of the chicken in the culture is very high” says Dr. Butcher, a professor of Veterinary Medicine at University of Florida and a leading authority on poultry medicine.
Many factors have contributed to the problem there today according to Dr. Butcher: co-existence of chickens and humans, lack of implementation and enforcement of government regulations, many small flocks scattered in many geographical areas, and disposing of dead infected chickens in open pits which allows wild birds to become re-infected and thus start the cycle again. Also contributing to the problem is the fact that the poultry industry “is not highly developed – not highly integrated.”
Dr. Butcher has traveled worldwide consulting on H5N1 poultry remediation. In many countries monitoring for disease in poultry is nonexistent. More government policies regarding poultry health are needed. More monitoring of poultry disease status is warranted. Live markets abound, which provide a fertile environment for contagious disease. Distribution of chicken litter that is infected with H5N1 into the environment also provides more opportunities for the spread of disease. In one country he observed, “Trucks take it (chicken litter) and dump it into one area. They sell it from there as fertilizer. They take the litter and spread it on fields anywhere, right next to the poultry farms – no composting or treatment of the litter.”
Countries like Turkey where controls have been successful, have implemented the following procedures among others: government encouragement of a modern poultry industry, established plans for any H5N1 infestation, effective implementation of those plans, modern facilities, aggressive de-population programs, no transportation of chickens (dead or alive) or their litter, limited vaccine programs, limited live markets, on-site disposal of dead poultry, enforcement of government regulations, and strong and effective government reimbursement programs to encourage citizens to turn in poultry. “You can look at a country and predict what effect this disease is going to have” Dr. Butcher says.
interviewed by Jeanne Hugo
(Gainesville, Florida) Dr. Gary Butcher, a world poultry expert explains, partially, the re-emergence of H5N1 in Indonesia. “The significance of the chicken in the culture is very high” says Dr. Butcher, a professor of Veterinary Medicine at University of Florida and a leading authority on poultry medicine.
Many factors have contributed to the problem there today according to Dr. Butcher: co-existence of chickens and humans, lack of implementation and enforcement of government regulations, many small flocks scattered in many geographical areas, and disposing of dead infected chickens in open pits which allows wild birds to become re-infected and thus start the cycle again. Also contributing to the problem is the fact that the poultry industry “is not highly developed – not highly integrated.”
Dr. Butcher has traveled worldwide consulting on H5N1 poultry remediation. In many countries monitoring for disease in poultry is nonexistent. More government policies regarding poultry health are needed. More monitoring of poultry disease status is warranted. Live markets abound, which provide a fertile environment for contagious disease. Distribution of chicken litter that is infected with H5N1 into the environment also provides more opportunities for the spread of disease. In one country he observed, “Trucks take it (chicken litter) and dump it into one area. They sell it from there as fertilizer. They take the litter and spread it on fields anywhere, right next to the poultry farms – no composting or treatment of the litter.”
Countries like Turkey where controls have been successful, have implemented the following procedures among others: government encouragement of a modern poultry industry, established plans for any H5N1 infestation, effective implementation of those plans, modern facilities, aggressive de-population programs, no transportation of chickens (dead or alive) or their litter, limited vaccine programs, limited live markets, on-site disposal of dead poultry, enforcement of government regulations, and strong and effective government reimbursement programs to encourage citizens to turn in poultry. “You can look at a country and predict what effect this disease is going to have” Dr. Butcher says.
interviewed by Jeanne Hugo
