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Chicken deaths not the Newcastle virus

Inadequate epidemic prevention measures and sanitation deficiencies, not the Newcastle disease, were the main culprits in the recent mass deaths of laying hens in Pingtung County, the Council of Agriculture (COA) said.

The local media reports said that 60,000 laying hens in the Pingtung area might have died of the Newcastle infection — a highly contagious zoonotic bird disease that affects many domestic and wild avian species. Its effects are most notable in domestic poultry given their high susceptibility and potential for epidemic. The infection is endemic to many countries.

In response, the council’s Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine (BAPHIQ) said in a press statement issued yesterday that the reports were not true.

“Clinical diagnoses indicate that the mass die-off of laying hens had nothing to do with the Newcastle disease,” the bureau said, adding that the mass deaths were mainly caused by the failure of poultry farmers to tighten up epidemic prevention measures and sanitation management.

Since May, the statement said, the bureau has been sending staffers members to Pingtung to assist in epidemiological surveys and disinfections of poultry farms around the county as well as to offer tips on epidemic prevention and sanitation improvement.

Acting on the bureau’s instructions, the statement said, the Pingtung animal health inspection and quarantine office has also launched a publicity campaign to enhance poultry farmers’ awareness of the importance of taking precautionary measures.

With the assistance of the bureau, the statement said, the Pingtung office has also organized workshops to teach poultry farmers how to improve farm hygiene and sanitation and how to reinforce their epidemic prevention systems.
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