Deputy Chief Executive Officer (DCEO) of the GLDA, Dr Dwight Walrond, explained: “We want to test for a wide array of diseases. Based on clinical signs there are two different manifestations taking place, that’s why we are using the University of Georgia to test for four to six diseases.

"The University of Georgia is a reference laboratory. Sending the samples to Georgia is the best course of action since it would give us a good idea of what’s happening on East bank Berbice,” he added.

A number of reports in different newspapers have indicated large losses of birds, but Dr Walrond pointed out that the reports affect different breeds.

“The signs and symptoms are different, one transpired during the rainy season and the other just started,’ he told the Government Information Agency (GINA).

He said that the GLDA has visited one of the farms involved, interviewed the farmer and looked at his husbandry practices. The team concluded that there is a need for guidance in the area of farm management. “Mortality has since been reduced on this farm,” Dr Walrond explained.

The GLDA concluded it is too early to declare an outbreak of poultry diseases since the cases investigated are dissimilar and affect different breeds.