By Carien Kruger
Controlling highly contagious bird flu is crucial for the poultry industry and protecting the human population, says Prof. Robert Bragg, Professor Emeritus at the University of the Free States Centre for Mineral Biogeochemistry.
Speaking at a FairPlay anti-dumping movement webinar, he stated that the greater the number of chickens infected with bird flu, the more likely it is that those working with them could also contract the virus.
“The more people contract the virus, the greater the chance of a pandemic scenario developing. This risk extends beyond South Africa; it is a global concern. I am particularly troubled by the 1 000 dairy herds in America that are infected.
“We are on the edge of a precipice. Influenza is the third largest cause of death among humans. Epidemiologists have been anticipating the next flu pandemic for 30 years already,” says Bragg, who, together with his team at the UFS Centre, is regarded as a world leader in disease control in a post-antibiotic era, vaccine development and resistance to disinfectants.
He stated that bird flu is the deadliest disease affecting poultry, with a mortality rate of nearly 100% occurring within a short period in unvaccinated chickens.
Bragg explained that bird flu could pose a significant threat to the human population if the virus were to mutate and transmit from one human to another.
“It does not matter if the virus develops human-to-human transmission in South Africa, America, the Netherlands, Australia, or elsewhere. The virus is airborne and it spreads.”
Bird flu is devastating for the farmers it affects, but Bragg remarks that if one considers the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the world and given that the mortality rate of the bird flu virus is significantly higher, the global economy will struggle to cope with a bird flu pandemic in humans. “We cannot endure another lockdown. If bird flu transfers to humans and spreads, we could face a pandemic of Biblical proportions.”
Bragg says vaccinating South Africa’s chickens will give the country the best chance to protect its chickens and human population and that vaccination should be prioritised.
The government has established biosecurity and monitoring protocols that poultry farmers wishing to vaccinate must adhere to. However, the protocols are largely impractical and very costly, resulting in no farmer being able to comply, and consequently no chickens have been vaccinated.
SA is ready
According to Dr Shahn Bisschop, a veterinarian, consultant in the poultry industry and academic at the University of Pretoria, millions of chicks are vaccinated daily in South Africa, and vaccinating against avian influenza would not pose a problem.
This is typically carried out after chicks have hatched, and numerous bird flu vaccines are also formulated to be administered at that time.
“We use extremely sophisticated systems to vaccinate against Newcastle disease, among others. Our standard practice in the hatcheries ensures vaccination is performed with an accuracy of 99-99.5%. We are also able to administer it for bird flu. We can audit the process and guarantee its high effectiveness.”
Bisschop stated that longer-living chickens are also vaccinated through these audited, reliable processes. “We are prepared to commence vaccination against bird flu.”
There are already approved bird flu vaccines in the country, and if farmers were given permission, vaccination could begin quickly. Developing immunity takes at least two weeks.
“There is no 100% guarantee that vaccinated chickens will not excrete the virus, but a 99% reduction is not to be dismissed.”
According to Bisschop, South Africa requires a central laboratory to monitor the bird flu situation, where the appropriate experts oversee incoming data and establish requirements for other laboratories, creating a central control point for bird flu. He says the government laboratories are currently unable to perform this task.
Protocols must be practical
Izaak Breitenbach, CEO of the broiler organisation within the South African Poultry Association (SAPA), says the industry has been in discussions with the Department of Agriculture for at least six months to devise a workable plan to prevent outbreaks.
“The government is concerned that we are solely focused on vaccination and do not wish to adhere to biosecurity and monitoring protocols. This is far from the truth. We wholeheartedly endorse stringent biosecurity measures and rigorous monitoring protocols; however, they must be practical and feasible to enable farmers to vaccinate effectively.
“We also owe it to our small farmers that longer-living chickens on large farms are vaccinated, which helps reduce the viral load in the country and limit the spread of disease. This approach enables us to prevent the industry from suffering R9.5 billion in direct losses as it did in 2023, a burden that would ultimately fall on the consumer.”
The industry is meeting with the Department of Agriculture on Thursday, 27 March, to discuss three key issues: the request from Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen, that the vaccination protocols for poultry farmers be practical, that the monitoring protocols should be feasible, and that the majority of farms must vaccinate.
Bisschop stated that vaccinating fifty, a hundred, or even hundreds of thousands of chickens will not resolve the issue. “To mitigate the risk, herd immunity is essential, and it only takes effect when 70% of the flock is vaccinated. It is crucial that vaccination occurs on a large scale and fairly quickly.”
Breitenbach emphasised that if a wild bird were to test positive for bird flu now, the industry would only have biosecurity and culling as means, and these were ineffective in controlling the H7 outbreak of 2023.
Compensation shapes behaviour
“If culling is part of disease control, a solution must be found to compensate farmers,” Bisschop said. “From an epidemiological perspective, providing compensation to encourage appropriate behaviour is essential. One cannot reasonably expect individuals to voluntarily destroy their livelihood if compensation is not an option.”
“Unless the government provides compensation, we will encounter issues with under-reporting of the disease, making its incidence less visible.”
“It is essential that the government, the industry and other stakeholders work together with a positive attitude and determination to make vaccination work.”
