Manish Kumar
Bhubaneswar: A new oral pellet vaccine against the fatal Ranikhet disease has yielded overwhelming results in trials over two years in Khurda district, provided a ray of hope for those battling to avert mass backyard poultry deaths in Orissa.
The term ‘backyard poultry’ refers to the poultry that is used to lay eggs and later used as meat as they take longer to fully gain weight. The trials of the vaccine, developed by the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Chennai, were started by the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Khurda, in 2014 in Khurda district with the assistance of the university.
The disease, which is highly contagious and fatal in nature and threatens the lives of whole flocks in close proximity, is also known as New Castle disease or Doyle’s disease. It is characterised by respiratory ailments, distress and nervous system issues, which ultimately lead to high mortality of poultry. “Ranikhet is not a seasonal disease and can affect birds of any age group. In the case of an outbreak, an entire flock of birds can die within 48 hours, leading to huge production loss. Our trials in the district at rural areas have proved 100 per cent effectiveness of the vaccine,” said P N Ananth, the head of KVK, Khurda. There has been no incidence of the disease once the vaccine has been administered, according to the subject matter specialist from KVK, BK Banja.
KVK now plans to demonstrate this vaccine, which comprises lactose, starch and amaranthus dye and is easy to administer, to farmers. The institution has now been holding talks with the state veterinary department to ensure that the vaccine can be given in large quantities to different parts of the state to avert any outbreak of the disease.
The vaccine is mainly meant for village chicken, which contribute to the spread of virus to commercial poultry. PNN
