Your Guide To Significant Poultry Diseases

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), which causes severe clinical symptoms and high mortality in poultry, poses a threat to producers in South Africa this season. Avian influenza (AI) is a highly contagious viral disease affecting several species of poultry, pet birds and wild birds.

- Christal-Lize Muller

AI is classified into two categories: HPAI, which causes huge economic losses due to mortality and culling; and low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI), which causes no clinical symptoms in poultry.

Izaak Breitenbach, general manager of the Broiler Organisation at the South African Poultry Association (Sapa), says HPAI seems out of control in Europe, and the risk of it spreading to South Africa is significant as North as well as West Africa have reported outbreaks of the disease. Stockfarm looked into controlled and other poultry diseases that can weigh heavily on the industry.

State controlled diseases

HPAI is a controlled animal disease in terms of the Animal Diseases Act, 1984 (Act 35 of 1984) and needs to be reported to the state. In 2009, the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) and the Poultry Disease Management Agency, started establishing precautionary measures, disease surveillance, and control protocols to minimise the possible impact of HPAI. Breitenbach says Sapa is an active participant in the surveillance monitoring process of AI in the national poultry flock.

HPAI is an extremely contagious disease and if confirmed in a flock, triggers culling of the flock and all flocks in close proximity of the infected flock. The HPAI virus strains are highly pathogenic (causing mortality) for a variety of domestic and wild bird species.