Deadly disease kills 72,000 chickens in north Syria
TABQA, Syria (North Press) – After the outbreak of a disease in 18 poultry farms in the countryside of the city of Tabqa in northern Syria, 72,000 chickens died.
Mahmoud Muhammad, from the administration of the Livestock Office in Tabqa, affiliated with the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), said the disease that has spread in northeast Syria is called Newcastle and is a viral disease that affects poultry in general.
Newcastle spreads via air, contaminated water, wild birds, and rotten fodder.
The disease causes great losses in the poultry industry, and if it is spread in any poultry farm, it affects all chickens, according to Muhammad.
It has spread in 18 poultry farms which caused the death of 72,000 chickens. The losses of poultry farmers were estimated at over $100,000, according to the Livestock Office.
Muhammad said the disease was diagnosed by specialized veterinarians after spreading in more than one region. It had already spread in Raqqa and Hasakah over 20 days ago.
He added that they issued guidance leaflets for livestock breeders to identify the disease, its transmission methods, and the procedures to be followed to prevent it, such as hygiene methods and separating the infected birds from the healthy ones.
He noted that there is no treatment for infected birds, but prevention can limit its spread. Dead birds must be properly disposed of by “burning and burying them underground and not throwing them on roads.”
The viral Newcastle disease is contagious among poultry farms and does not cause infections in humans.
Newcastle disease in chickens is a highly dangerous viral disease known as an acute respiratory disease. The severity of infection depends on the virulence and susceptibility of chickens. Chickens are more vulnerable to this deadly disease.
Munir Samir, an owner of three poultry farms in the village of al-Mahmoudli in the north of Tabqa, told North Press that he lost 4,000 out of 14,500 birds.
Samir’s losses are estimated at about $ 20,000 between dead birds, others sold at half the price, and expenses of fodder and medicine.
Samir described the situation as “disastrous,” saying, “There are poultry farms that are empty. All of them died.”
So far, Samir has not received any support from the AANES or organizations operating in the region.
He demanded a rapid response to get support for affected poultry farmers, whether from the AANES or organizations. “We desperately need rapid support to continue supplying the local markets with eggs and meat, which help stabilize prices of meat and chicken and make it available in local markets,” He noted.