• Virulent Newcastle Disease

Virulent Newcastle Disease (VND), formerly Exotic Newcastle Disease, and what you need to know about it... especially if you have either chickens, other poultry or even parrots. This is a very deadly disease that can spread rapidly.

Current restrictions are that you can not move your birds from one place to another during this quarantine 

The quarantine mandates the reporting of sick birds

It also prohibits poultry owners from moving birds in all of Los Angeles County, and in large areas of San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

The quarantine requires bird owners to allow diagnostic testing, to isolate poultry from other species, to cease exhibitions, to stop the shipping and receiving of birds, and to enhance biosecurity.

This is a screen capture of an interactive map that starts in May 2018 and goes through June 2019. The red dots represent areas that the disease has been found, and the first map of the area had no red dots at the start of this time frame.

Wildomar is in the VND quarantine area, though it hasn't made its way down to here yet. At the rate the disease is spreading I would be extra cautious about prevention if I had chickens or other fowl. 

Once the area is considered infected, that most likely will mean your birds will have to be euthanized even if they don't appear to have VND.

Use this link to see the interactive map. It cycles through the last 12 months epidemic in about 15 seconds.

VND is a nearly-always fatal respiratory infection in poultry

Birds may seem healthy but will die within days of being infected. There is no cure. The virus is also transmitted by people who have VND on their clothes or shoes, and by equipment or vehicles that can transport the disease from place to place.

There are no human health concerns provided that any meat or eggs are cooked properly. People who come in direct contact with the virus may develop conjunctivitis-like symptoms or run a mild fever.

The only way to stop the virus and eradicate the disease is to euthanize birds. This includes all infected birds as well as birds within heavily-infected areas.

 Attention: 

Residents in Areas of Active vND Virus Spread

Message from State Veterinarian, Dr. Annette Jones

Due to progression and duration of a virulent Newcastle Disease (vND) outbreak in parts of Southern California, the State Veterinarian has ordered that all poultry* epidemiologically associated (connected) with diseased birds are humanely euthanized. The most heavily impacted neighborhoods are within or near:

• Compton and Whittier (Los Angeles County)
• Eastvale, Menifee, Mira Loma/Jurupa Valley, Norco, Nuevo, Perris, and Riverside City (Riverside County)
• Chino, Fontana, Hesperia, Highland, Muscoy, and Ontario (San Bernardino County)

Unfortunately, even individual birds and flocks that previously tested negative, but later become exposed to the disease, must be euthanized. USDA/CDFA staff will contact affected bird owners with orders specific to their property.

While this action is difficult for all involved, it MUST be done to eradicate VND. Otherwise, the disease will continue to spread and kill additional flocks.

For more information please refer to: Virulent Newcastle Disease FAQs  or call the Sick Bird Hotline at 866-922-2473.

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* Poultry species are defined as: chickens, turkeys, turkins, pheasants, peafowl, guinea fowl, quail, ducks, geese, swans, gallinules, doves, pigeons, grouse, partridges, francolin, tinamou, ostriches, and other ratites (including but not limited to the rhea, emu, and cassowary), and hatching or embryonated eggs.

Signs of infection

The incubation period for the disease ranges from 4 to 6 days. An infected bird may exhibit several signs, including respiratory signs (gasping, coughing), nervous signs (depression, inappetence, muscular tremors, drooping wings, twisting of head and neck, circling, complete paralysis), swelling of the tissues around the eyes and neck, greenish, watery diarrhea, misshapen, rough- or thin-shelled eggs and reduced egg production.

Once your bird has contracted VND, it's an ugly road they travel until they finally die.

How is Newcastle disease prevented?

Maintaining hygiene is one of the most important steps a farmer can take to prevent diseases in their poultry. The poultry house should be kept clean at all times. Ensure that the chicken droppings are swept every day. If possible, apply a disinfectant regularly to kill any disease-causing germs or viruses.

How Does Exotic Newcastle Spread? 

Exotic Newcastle is spread primarily through direct contact between healthy birds and the bodily discharges of infected birds. The disease is transmitted through infected birds' droppings and secretions from the nose, mouth, and eyes. Exotic Newcastle spreads rapidly among birds kept in confinement, such as commercially raised chickens.

High concentrations of the exotic Newcastle virus are in birds' bodily discharges. Therefore, the disease can be spread easily by mechanical means. Virus-bearing material can be picked up on shoes and clothing and carried from an infected flock to a healthy one. The disease is often spread by vaccination and debeaking crews, manure haulers, rendering-truck drivers, feed delivery personnel, poultry buyers, egg service people, and poultry farm owners and employees.

The exotic Newcastle virus can survive for several weeks in a warm and humid environment on birds' feathers, manure, and other materials. It can survive indefinitely in frozen material. However, the virus is destroyed rapidly by dehydration and by the ultraviolet rays in sunlight.

Smuggled pet birds, especially Amazon parrots from Latin America, pose a great risk of introducing exotic Newcastle into U.S. poultry flocks. Amazon parrots that are carriers of the disease but do not show symptoms are capable of shedding exotic Newcastle virus for more than 400 days.

Can humans get Newcastle disease?

It is endemic to many countries. Exposure of humans to infected birds (for example in poultry processing plants) can cause mild conjunctivitis and influenza-like symptoms, but the Newcastle disease virus (NDV) otherwise poses no hazard to human health.

Below are a couple of short videos that go more into detail about Virulent Newcastle Disease.

Links
California Department of Food and Agriculture 
Riverside County Press Release
Regional Quarantine Map
Interactive Map
End virulent Newcastle Disease (facebook group)
Save Our Birds facebook page dedicated to VND issues

Though this is a serious issue, let's make time for a bit of levity with a silly cartoon at the end of this blog.

Most chickens surveyed prefer IPAs over Newcastle.
That was humor folks... it's ok to laugh a little, just follow the guidelines above.

•                •                •

We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.
– Abraham Lincoln

We can rejoice because Wildomar Rap is more like a dandelion... which happily has no thorns but does tend to spread with the wind and seems impossible to dispatch.

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