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Avian influenza
Avian influenza is a viral infection found in domestic poultry and a wide range of other birds. Wild waterfowl and shorebirds are often subclinically affected carriers of the virus. In poultry, low-pathogenicity strains can cause subclinical infections; however, some strains typically cause respiratory signs or decreased egg production. Highly pathogenic strains may cause widespread organ failure and sudden death, often with high mortality rates. Diagnosis is based on detection of the viral genome or specific antibodies or on virus isolation. Antimicrobials may help control secondary bacterial infection in flocks affected by low-pathogenicity strains. Antiviral drugs are not approved or recommended. Prevention is best accomplished by biosecurity measures. Vaccines matched for antigenic type can greatly increase resistance to infection, prevent clinical signs, and decrease viral shedding in infected flocks.
The Dutch Agriculture Ministry ordered farmers on Tuesday to keep their poultry indoors from Sept. 1 to protect flocks from the threat of avian flu from migrating birds.
"During the forthcoming migration period, there is a risk that migratory birds can spread bird flu," the ministry said in a statement.
"For this reason all holders of chickens, geese and other birds should keep them indoors."
Alternatively, farmers can construct an enclosure that would make contact with wild birds...
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VIROCID(R), manufactured by CID LINES, was already recommended as the number one disinfectant by the Belgian and Canadian poultry authorities in the battle against A.I.
Now, the Romanian authorities have chosen VIROCID® also. In the affected area, vehicles entering or leaving the perimeter are being disinfected with VIROCID®.
The most important criteria for Romania's choice were:
1. Proven efficacy against Avian Influenza ( 1:400 in USA and 1:1200 in China).
2. > 90%...
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Standardised Ileal Amino Acid Digestibility of Ingredients for Broiler Chickens is Influenced by Feed Form
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A biotech breakthrough achieved by Akzo Nobel’s animal health business, Intervet, means that mass application of a dual vaccine against avian influenza and Newcastle Disease could be available in the near future.
Together with scientists at the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute (FLI) in Germany, Intervet has developed a prototype for a new generation vaccine offering protection against both infections which can be mass applied by spraying instead of injecting.
The new prototype vaccine...
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As a precautionary measure to combat avian flu, the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today asked DuPont to provide initial supplies of its DuPont(TM) Virkon(R) S veterinary disinfectant to meet the short-term needs in 69 nations, where it is needed most to help governments and farmers prevent avian flu from spreading.
DuPont(TM) Virkon(R) S Veterinary Disinfectant Independently Tested Effective Against H5N1 Strain
The 69 countries are...
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Bucharest - Laboratory tests confirmed the presence of birds infected with avian flu in the Romanian capital for the first time since it was detected in poultry in the Danube delta last October, officials said on Sunday.
Romania has reported more than 20 bird flu outbreaks over the past week, mostly in the central county of Brasov, just a month after the strain was said to have been eradicated in the Black Sea state.
Gabriel Predoi, a top official at the Animal Health Agency, said a bird...
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The poultry industry lost RM1.5bil in two months due to the bird flu scare, which caused chicken prices to plunge.
Federation of Livestock Farmers Associations Malaysia broiler unit head Yap Kim Hwah said bird flu cases reported in Selangor, Perak and Penang in March caused sales of chicken to drop by between 20% and 30%.
“Chicken farmers incurred huge losses and some did not even have money to buy feed or rear new chicks,” Yap said.
There are about 6,000 chicken farmers in the...
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Dr. Beth Krushinskie, vice president of food safety and production programs for the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, has been named to head up the efforts of ACDI/VOCA’s programs to address the worldwide challenge of avian influenza. Krushinskie assumed her new duties May 1.
She will be assigned to USAID’s Avian Influenza Core Team to help coordinate the delivery of the U.S. government’s contribution to the worldwide relief effort on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza.
Association President...
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A three-day program on avian influenza will be presented here May 9-11 at the University of Connecticut.
The "New England Avian Influenza Prevention & Control Meeting for Game Bird Producers and Poultry Fanciers" will be held May 9. The "State Technicians AI Training Workshop Part 1: Avian Handling Techniques" will be May 10. Part 2 of the technicians' workshop, "Strategies for Mass Depopulation of Poultry," will be May 11.
Topics for the May 9 meeting include game bird farming and...
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The Netherlands lifted its order shielding domestic poultry from contact with wild birds on Monday, as the threat of avian flu infections subsided, the Dutch agriculture ministry said.
"The main reason for lifting the ban is that most migratory birds have passed the Netherlands," said ministry spokesman Hans Blom. "We considered migratory birds as the main risk for infecting poultry."
The Netherlands is a top world poultry exporter with annual sales of 1.5 billion euros (1 billion pounds)...
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The deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu has been detected in a fourth province of Afghanistan amid fears of further possible outbreaks of the virus among the country's destitute communities, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) confirmed on Monday.
"According to the test results, the H5N1 strain of bird flu has been detected in the eastern Kapisa province," Assadullah Azhari, FAO's public information officer, said in the Afghan capital, Kabul.
Avian influenza, otherwise known as...
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Pakistanis find H5N1 bird flu on another farm
The H5N1 bird flu virus has been confirmed at another Pakistani poultry farm, an Agriculture Ministry official said on Sunday.
Authorities confirmed outbreaks of the H5N1 virus at two poultry farms in the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) in February.
The new outbreak was discovered on a farm near the capital, Islamabad.
"It was a small farm and we have already destroyed a total 3,500 chickens...
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A symposium on "Avian Influenza: Impacts on Wild Birds, Domestic Birds and Humans" will be held here April 15 at the Davis Senior Center, in California.
The symposium will explore the roles that wild birds and other wildlife could play in a widespread pandemic resulting from an avian influenza outbreak.
Topics will include an ecology of bird populations as well as expectations for AI in the Pacific Flyways and west coast domestic bird populations; wetland management as a strategy to...
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Serbia has reported a first suspected case of bird flu at domestic birds, following initial analysis made at one dead rooster on Wednesday.
Serbian veterinary authorities told reporters that as so far virus (Avian Influenza) H5N1 has been found at 11 wild birds in Northwest of the country and lately the virus is suspected to have killed the rooster, whose samples are sent immediately to EU reference laboratory for Avian Influenza in Weybridge, UK.
Dejan Krnjajic said that authorities fear...
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Israel on Monday confirmed its first outbreak of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu. In a statement on its Web site, the Agriculture Ministry said the flu had been found in birds at two communal farms in southern Israel and at a farming community in central Israel.
Fearing the worst, Israel had gone ahead Saturday with the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of chickens and turkeys.
The H5N1 virus has killed or forced the slaughter of tens of millions of chickens and ducks across Asia...
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Avian influenza (AI) and Newcastle disease (ND) are poultry diseases of great concern to the poultry industry. The viruses that cause these diseases can be killed by heat. But the exact parameters for inactivating them by pasteurization had not been established—until now.
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have shown that the same industry-standard pasteurization temperatures and times established for Salmonella inactivation in egg products can also kill AI and ND viruses....
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The U.S. Poultry & Egg Association has signed an agreement with ACDI/VOCA to provide technical assistance regarding the recent highly pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) outbreaks internationally.
The two organizations will assist in recruiting U.S. poultry health experts who will provide technical assistance to countries fighting HPAI.
According to Dr. Elizabeth Krushinskie, vice president of food safety and production programs at USPOULTRY, “We are working with ACDI/VOCA and U.S....
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The French Ministry of Agriculture announced the intention to vaccinate outdoor ducks against Avian Influenza in three western parts of France (Landes, Loire atlantique and Vendée).
The French Ministry sees these regions at risk for transmission of the influenza virus by migrating birds. The Ministry has requested approval from the European Commission for these plans. Intervet will supply at least 30 million doses, a substantial part of the vaccine tender called by the French Ministry of...
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Chicken and other poultry are safe to eat if cooked properly, according to a joint statement by FAO and the World Health Organization (WHO) issued to national food safety authorities. However, no birds from flocks with disease should enter the food chain.
FAO/WHO made the statement to clarify food safety issues in relation to the current bird flu crisis. The statement has been issued through the International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) and is available in six...
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Standardised Ileal Amino Acid Digestibility of Ingredients for Broiler Chickens is Influenced by Feed Form
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Member States have endorsed a number of European Commission decisions on import restrictions and biosecurity measures currently in place against the risk of Avian Influenza, at the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCFCAH) on Wednesday.
It was agreed that, for Turkey and Croatia, the existing ban on import to the EU will be regionalised to cover only the areas previously affected by Avian Influenza, given the strict control measures applied in these countries.
In...
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The European Union has lifted its import ban on ostriches and their meat from South Africa and is satisfied that avian influenza is no longer present in the country, the EU's Official Journal said on Friday.
South Africa declared itself free of bird flu in September and then sent a final report on its animal health situation to the European Commission, asking the EU to lift its import ban.
"The information contained in the final report shows clearly that the outbreak in the Republic of...
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