The number of cases of Newcastle disease in Germany has risen to over 60. Up until 19 April, there were 58 cases, as reported by the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI) to the European authorities.
Affected regions and farm statistics
The FLI’s report to the EU Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed (PAFF) mentions 40 cases in the state of Brandenburg. Newcastle disease was discovered there on 3 laying hen farms, 1 breeding chicken farm, and 7 broiler chicken farms, affecting a total of 3.4 million animals. A further 17 cases across 2 clusters were reported in the southern state of Bavaria, mostly on laying hen and broiler farms.
Most of the Newcastle disease cases in these reports occurred between weeks 10 and 13. Since then, the number of cases in the country has leveled off.
Questions over vaccination effectiveness
The FLI also mentions that in the affected regions, the vaccination of chickens and turkeys has been mandatory for many years. However, the German laboratory raises a clear question mark regarding the "effectiveness of vaccination".
The reappearance of Newcastle disease, which had not been reported in the country since 1966, serves as a reminder to all poultry keepers to double-check the mandatory vaccination status of their flocks, the FLI stated in its conclusions.
Disease impact and biosecurity measures
An infection is still possible in vaccinated birds. However, those animals are much more difficult to infect, and they will excrete fewer viruses and do so over a shorter period of time. If birds show signs of illness, the symptoms will also develop to a lesser extent than in non-vaccinated animals.
However, the FLI stresses that young animals are not yet, or not fully, protected during the rearing phase. Other factors can also limit or even prevent robust protection. Therefore, biosecurity measures that limit the risk of infection remain of the utmost importance. Particularly, a strict control of all human contact must be in place, the German reference laboratory for animal diseases underlines.
