BIRD FLU AND COMPENSATION.

The bird flu virus has left a devastating trail in many countries,with resultant huge economic losses and scarcity of poultry products especially eggs. The virus has put so many producers out of business and many more on the brink of financial collapse,the poultry farmers that are worst hit are those without insurance or any type of risk management plan and those that dont qualify for compensation. The risk management tool /insurance is a personal issue on the path of the farmers,many dont take out polices on their investment basically because they lack wisdom,and understanding on the issue.Any farmer that is insured has so many benefits,and links/opportunities to grow bigger. In cases of disease outbreaks, not only do they get pay-outs; they have opportunities to start over without any delay.Many insurance companies have products that cover farmers,their equipment and operation. Be a wise farmer, insure your farm. Compensation in cases of bird flu is a global concern,with more and more countries bring out guidelines on methods of collection and also many countries have made the compensation plan public to encourage farmers to disclose the status of their farms. In Nigeria,there is a compensation plan and guidelines to benefit from the scheme. A farmer that has an incidence on the farm and does not report cant lay claim to any payment. A farmer that has a case of high mortality ,with obvious signs of the bird flu virus and decides to procure a solution without reporting will forfeit any claim to any compensation on birds before the case became a public knowledge. When there is a case of bird flu on your farm, you report to a state veterinary officer,who will report to the state AVIAN INFLUENZA DESK OFFICER,and the farm is visited immediately,samples taken from farm and sent to the NVRI in Jos where a virus is confirmed. The population on the farm as at time of visit is recorded and sent along with sample,this is recorded in the compensation scheme form and its on this data that the payment is made. Early reporting is key to procure meaningful compensation. When the virus is confirmed,the farm is depopulated and disinfected.The process of disinfection is continuous,starting at every week,then followed by every month and the farm facility is not used for 6 months. A quarantine sign is put up on the farm to ensure there are no movement within 3km radius of the farm. Many potent disinfectants are available for this purpose,use proven disinfectants and wear protective clothing.

AMAZING WORLD OF CAMEL!!!.

Camels are social animals who roam the deserts in search of food and water with up to 30 other individuals. camels are very peaceful animals who rarely exhibit aggression. Contrary to popular misconception, camels do not store water in their humps. The humps are actually reservoirs for fatty tissue. Concentrating fat in their humps minimizes insulation throughout the rest of the body, thus allowing camels to survive in such extreme hot regions. Asian camels have two humps whereas Arabian camels only have one. Camels have two rows of thick eyelashes to protect their eyes from the desert dust. They are also able to close their nostrils and lips to keep out the dust. Camels’ ears are small and hairy. However their sense of hearing is also extremely strong. Camels can drink up to seven litres of water in a day. Amazing world of camels!!!

COMMON DISINFECTANTS USED IN FARMS..

FOOD SAFETY AND BIRD FLU VIRUS.

The bird flu virus is inactivated by heat,hence cooking at high temperature of 70°c will destroy the virus.This fact is of importance when handling and cooking poultry. Several cases of H5N1 in humans have occurred from consumption of improperly cooked or raw poultry products. Freezing,blast-freezing and refrigeration of poultry products does not deactivate the bird flu virus,so ensure that you cook thawed poultry properly at high temperature and make sure the fluid from the poultry does not mix with foods that will be consumed raw. 

 Chicken should be cooked thoroughly with no pink parts, eggs should also be properly cooked. All poultry and poultry products should be thoroughly cooked. Hands should be washed immediately after you handle poultry and poultry products,the bird flu virus can be inactivated in acidic pH ,thus washing with soap is very effective to curb the spread of the virus. Water can be disinfected to ensure its safety,the addition of chlorine to water at normal purification levels >3 is effective to kill the bird flu virus.People in areas where the bird flu virus has been identified should ensure thorough cooking of such products and prevent cross contamination with other foods,utensil and cooking agents should be washed with soap and hot water. 

 The bird flu virus can survive at low temperatures for at least a month,hence common food preservation such as freezing,refrigerating cant inactivate the virus, hence cook poultry properly. In 2007 ;German officials found the H5N1 virus in frozen duck sample at a poultry slaughter house,which confirms that freezing cant inactivate the virus. Eggs may contain the virus on the shell and within the eggs,eggs should not be consumed raw,or partially cooked,no runny yolks either.

Cooking at high temperature for long periods is a sure way to ensure food safety. In man infection with the H5N1 virus has been linked to home slaughter of poultry,handling and cooking of diseased poultry,hence proper hygiene is essential. The key is thorough washing of hands,cooking utensils and cleaning and disinfecting cooking surfaces.Cross contamination should be prevented by cooking poultry separately. Wash,clean and disinfect.

DISEASE TRANSMISSION ON FARMS AND COMMON DISINFECTANTS.

Unrestricted movements to farms,across farms and from other farms to your farm. Contamination of feed and water with droppings. Contact with wild birds,infected birds and exotic birds. Contaminated farm equipment and tools. Soiled hands. contaminated plastic and paper crates. Inhaling infected Respiratory droplets. All these routes of transmission can be curtailed with strict bio security protocol; which should include isolation ,washing, and disinfection .The pathogens are usually inactivated by potent disinfectants that contain active ingredients that destroys these pathogens; these include lipid solvents,saponated cresols,phenol compounds,formaldehyde,lodine compounds,hypochlorite, and ammonia compounds. There are various compounds with varied potency,hence its imperative to tailor your disinfectants to match the pathogens to ensure efficacy.

VIRKON® S, A POTENT DISINFECTANT.

The use of virkon s can not be overemphasized because of the tremendous success it has achieved in farms,hospitals food industry etc.There are various applications for the virkon s in various sectors,but we will focus on its uses in the farm. Virkon S a virucidal disinfectant is used in the following ways; 1) foot dip 2)aerial disinfection of buildings in the farm,cages,animal housing e.t.c.3) treatment of water source The benefits of using virkon s are as following; its potent against various pathogens such as virus,bacteria and fungi ,thus making it suitable as a bio-security tool and also in cases of emergency disease control .It serves multipurpose function and its easy to transport .Its of value in the food industry as it has been proven to eliminate the salmonella super strain,the rate at which virkon s kills pathogen is 10 times faster than similar agents. Virkon S used for aerial disinfection;the virkon s is prepared at a dilution rate of 1:200/10sqm floor space,the solution is placed in knap sac and spray nozzle is set to fine droplet and solution is applied to desired areas.The major advantage is that the solution can be used in presence of animals in cages ,pens and other shelter type. The virkon s can also be applied to birds in deep litter ; this is achieved by sprinkling some quantity of the powder an the litter and its turned to make it fresh and clean,this will also eliminate odor from the poultry house. THINK VIRKON S!!! BIO SECURE YOUR FARMS!!!

A CASE SCENARIO # BIRD FLU VIRUS.

The world being a global village, facilitates trade interaction between countries and also promotes smuggling of animals along trade zones. The international air travel and smuggling is a major route of introducing and spreading of the bird flu virus. A case readily comes to mind about a Thai man that brought in 2 eagles to Europe in 2004.The birds were seized at customs because import of birds to Europe from Asian countries is prohibited. The seized birds seized at the Brussels international airport showed no signs of bird flu.The birds were killed and upon diagnosis in the vet department,the HPAI was confirmed. The authorities swung in to action and traced birds that had passed through customs with the birds,they found 2 parrots,2000 parrots in quarantine and 400 birds in another quarantine area,all birds were culled to forestall spread. The health authorities went further and traced all those who had contact with the eagles;they were identified,isolated and treated with Tamiflu. The Thai man reported himself to the police when he heard that the birds were H5N1 POSITIVE,he was isolated and treated.All those who had contact with the birds were asymptomatic except the VET,that euthanize the birds,he was isolate and treated same with members of his family. The main reasons we are recording outbreaks of various diseases around the world is because of international trade facilitated by travel and also smuggling along trade routes.Stuffed animals,hides of skin used to make drums, tools/equipment have all been implicated in spreading of various diseases. It will be appropriate to advise everyone to stay away from exotic animals, do not touch them if found in the wild and dont smuggle in animals off unknown origin. BE PROACTIVE! STOP THE BIRD FLU VIRUS.