Training farmers to tackle Newcastle Disease

Training farmers to tackle Newcastle disease Cue: Newcastle disease is a killer disease in poultry flocks all over the world. Young chickens are particularly vulnerable, and outbreaks can easily cause 100% mortality. Apart from a sudden high number of deaths, symptoms of the disease include paralysis, breathing difficulties and green diarrhoea. To prevent spread of the disease all birds should be vaccinated, with chicks needing a double dose of vaccine, once during their first week and a second dose after two months. Vaccines are usually given in drinking water, but to be effective farmers must know exactly how much water to mix the vaccine with. Timing of vaccination in adult birds also needs to be carefully controlled, since outbreaks of the disease are often linked to seasonal changes in the climate. For this reason, if poultry farmers are to vaccinate their own birds, they usually need training from livestock officers. In The Gambia, such training has been provided by the Department of Livestock Services from its poultry unit in Abuko. Mr Demba Touray, a livestock assistant at the unit, recently spoke to Ismaila Senghore about the disease, and attempts by the Department to control it. IN: ?Well it?s drastic because it is a disease? OUT: ?.farmers are doing it on their own.? DUR?N 4?34? BACK ANNOUNCEMENT: Mr. Demba Touray on how the Gambian Department of Livestock Services has been helping farmers to tackle Newcastle disease in their poultry flocks. Transcript Touray Well it?s drastic because it is a disease that can wipe out your whole flock, especially that of Newcastle Disease. It?s a major concern. I think it?s worldwide. Senghore So The Gambia is no exception when it comes to Newcastle Disease? Touray The Gambia is of no exception, especially now if you go to the rural areas Newcastle is everywhere. So this is a concern. Senghore Now at what period does Newcastle Disease affect chickens; does it come up regularly or is it always around? Touray Yes formerly it normally happens during the Harmattan but now the disease is persistent, it has no time. Senghore It used to be around November, December? Touray Yes sometimes around October, November, December but now it?s all year round. Senghore Could you tell me now if that?s the case what are the strategies that your department has in place to tackle major diseases like Newcastle for example? Touray Well the department is doing vaccination programmes. Every three months we are vaccinating against Newcastle and other domestic diseases. But the problem is I think there are certain gaps that are lacking especially at the farmers? level because to dispose of the dead carcasses from the disease is also a concern. So farmers will be sensitised, how to go about the disease when there is an outbreak. Proper disposal of dead carcasses, disinfecting the environment and so on will at least reduce the risk of disease. Senghore Now what are the kind of drugs that you have in stock, or the kinds of drugs that farmers demand from you? Touray Now we have all these vaccines that are concerned. We have the NCD vaccines in various doses. Senghore NCD means Newcastle Disease? Touray Newcastle Disease. We have five hundred doses, we have one thousand doses and then farmers are buying it. But I think the problem is the process of dilution also is a problem because some farmers who don?t know how many litres to put for one vial [of vaccine] but technically we have our staff at the field level who are administering effectively. But for the disposal of these dead carcasses, it is a concern. Senghore What about right here in your own experimental station? What is the effectiveness of the drugs that you use? Can you say your pilot can be a model for farmers to adopt? Touray Exactly yes. My pilot, well farmers are adopting it because in here every dose of vaccine is calculated accordingly and then it is also formulated. When I say formulated it is mixed according to the number of litres. Because always it is important to calculate the number of birds, times the age, divided by the dose. It is very important. Always give the vaccine according to age. If that is done then you have no problem. So in here in Abuko we have tap water but for the Newcastle Vaccine always you have to use well water. We have to go to the well and get well water because we need water that you know has no chlorine because the chlorine might affect the organism itself and then we would have ended the vaccine, not even potential. Senghore So you mean none of your birds die of Newcastle Disease here? Touray No, none of our birds die of Newcastle because the place is well controlled. Before you enter the door you have to disinfect and then much more, the equipment that we are using. The environment is well sterilised. Senghore What about other diseases, do they affect your birds here? Touray Yes sometimes, well it?s difficult to say that there is no, we don?t have any other diseases, it?s very very difficult. But what I am emphasising on is that you have to disinfect. Always try to disinfect all your materials. You have to make strict control of the entry and exit. Senghore Now what do you think other African countries can learn from our experience in poultry disease control? Touray Well what other people can benefit from our experience is the simple method, whereby farmers now, they can vaccinate their own birds because they have been trained here, they learn a lot of practices. Now even farmers have gone beyond, that they are even ordering their own stock, their own day old chicks. They manage their own flocks through the training that they have gained from this department. So I can see that now the technology has been effectively transferred even in terms of disease control, farmers are doing it on their own. End of track.Mr. Demba Touray of The Gambia?s Department of Livestock Services describes the work of the department to control Newcastle disease