Newcastle disease

Introduction to the sustainable control of Newcastle disease. In developing countries, the most commonly held livestock is village poultry because these livestock holders are often assets and resource-poor. Even a small increase in productivity can make a significant contribution toward increasing household, food security, and income. Improved village chicken production is of particular benefit to female-headed households. As they are the most likely to keep village poultry. Newcastle disease is one of the greatest obstacle livestock holder’s face in increasing smallholder poultry productivity. Newcastle disease outbreaks in developing countries occur once or twice every year and kill on an average of 70 to 80% of the unvaccinated village chicken population.

Some general approaches can be used to control Newcastle disease. These include:

• Practicing basic sanitation
• Not introducing new birds during high-risk periods
• Burying all birds that have died from the disease

In addition to these general approaches, the most effective method of controlling Newcastle disease is vaccination. There are several challenges to controlling Newcastle disease in village chickens by vaccination. Practical realities in developing countries create many logistical hurdles for vaccination campaigns. Particularly in the case of thermolabile vaccines which must be kept between 2 to 8 degrees Celsius. A large number of birds must be grouped together to obtain an efficient vaccination rate. Birds of various ages also need to be vaccinated as they are usually raised together and an efficient cold chain has to be maintained at all stages to ensure proper vaccine conservation. However, one of the greatest challenges to any vaccination campaign is the need for an adequate budget to cover vaccine costs, transportation, refrigeration equipment, and foreign exchange. These costs are often shared among the individuals concerned and those implementing the campaign. Vaccination programs that use existing commercial vaccines to control Newcastle disease in village chickens have been successful in the past. However, the need for large labor and technical inputs has limited their efficiency. The good news is that currently available vaccines will provide protection against clinical disease caused by all known strains of Newcastle disease virus. When deciding which type of vaccine to utilize, the selection should be based on efficacy, thermotolerance, ease of use, transportability, cost-affordability, and availability in the country or area of interest. Each type of vaccine has it on strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, vaccines must be evaluated by the particular criteria most relevant to the intended location, immunogenicity, thermal tolerance, production type, the necessity for foreign exchange, route of administration, and transmissibility are all factors that influence the efficacy of a vaccine campaign.

Vaccine campaign stakeholders:

To ensure successful application of the vaccine coordination, adequate planning, and organization are essential effective vaccination campaigns will involve senior decision-makers, farmers, community vaccinators, extension workers, veterinary services staff, private businesses, livestock/social scientists, non-governmental organizations. 

Training

Adequate planning must be complemented by training. To ensure field staff has a clear understanding of vaccine characteristics. Especially conservation requirement where coal chains are weak or non-existent. Human resource capacity is often also low. This is due to a lack of specialized education about vaccines and adds the facilities necessary to practice cold chain techniques. In these instances, it is often necessary to train community vaccinators.

This should include:

• Training on the benefits of Newcastle disease vaccinations.
• The characteristics of Newcastle disease and what to do to prevent outbreaks.
• The factors involved with the separated and transmission of diseases.
• Information on low-cost husbandry practices that can improve production.

Extension programs

Extension programs are also an important factor in providing the knowledge and information people need to increase the productivity and sustainability of their production systems. They should be implemented in conjunction with training activities and be simple, clear, and consistent. They should use a range of media such as print, audio, and visual, and gender-sensitive. They should be pre-tested on the local community through focus groups or recipient interviews. And lastly, they should be built on continuous improvement.

Field experience indicates that village chicken farmers are willing to pay for Newcastle disease vaccination services when they are effectively administered. Training in administration at all levels is therefore an essential component of an effective cost recovery system. To ensure that Newcastle disease vaccination campaigns are sustainable. It is important to address issues of cost recovery and cost minimization. The costs of vaccine production quality control distribution, administering, and monitoring need to be calculated and decisions made as to who will pay for the training at equipping. Community vaccinator is usually the most cost-effective way of administering the vaccine. For vaccinators to remain active, it is critical that they be remunerated for their services. The most sustainable way for farmers to pay a fee per bird to the vaccinator to cover the cost of the vaccine and a small payment for the vaccination service provided by the vaccinator. A government policy that facilitates sustainable Newcastle disease control in rural areas will often involve partial subsidization by the government. Farmers cover the cost of administration by community vaccinators and the partial costs associated with vaccine production and distribution. Sustainable control of Newcastle disease is an essential prerequisite for improved family poultry production. It contributes to improving household food security and income. It increases access to chickens in urban and peri-urban areas and it contributes to the empowerment of women.