Steps to Tackle Newcastle Disease in Santander
COLOMBIA – Steps are being taken to control and monitor a highly virulent Newcastle disease outbreak in Colombia’s Santander region.
3 June 2014
2 minute read
By: The Colombian Agriculture Institute (ICA) is auditing 121 poultry farms after five holdings tested positive for the disease.
The Institute is urging stricter biosecurity practices, as well as extensive vaccination programmes.
The affected farms were placed under quarantine and diagnostic advice issued. Mortality was put at 20 per cent on infected holdings.
ICA guidelines are instructing farmers to be watchful for birds displaying paralysis or walking in circles, breathing noises, conjunctivitis and water diarrhea.
If these signs emerge, farmers should contact the nearest ICA health office.
Santander currently has 1,094 commercial poultry farms and a capacity of 41 million birds.
