Integrating interventions against village chicken diseases to reduce mortalities of chicks and growers in southern zone, Tanzania

摘要

DespitetheeffortstocontrolthedevastatingNewcastledisease(ND)throughvaccinationprograms,chickenmortalitiesofespeciallychicksandgrowersinthefreerangehusbandrysystemcontinuetoexistatsignificantlyhigherlevels,implyingtheexistenceofothercausesofsuchmortalities.WeconductedaninterventionstudytoevaluatetheimpactofintegratingthecontrolofotherimportantchickendiseasesintoNDcontrolprogramsinsouthernzoneofTanzania.AtotaloftenvillageswereselectedfromMtwaraRural,MtwaraUrbanandLindiRuralDistrictsanddividedintotestandcontrolgroupseachcomprisingoffivevillages.ChickensinthecontrolandtestvillagesreceivedNDvaccinationonquarterlybasis.InadditiontovaccinatingthechickensagainstND,integrateddiseasecontrolinthetestvillagesincludedvitaminAsupplementationandcontrolofendo-andecto-parasites.Inbothgroupsofvillagesthediseasemanagementprocesseswereconductedbytrainedcommunityvaccinatorsandrecorders(CVRs).nbsp;Theresultsofthepresentstudyindicatethatgoodproportionsofthevaccinatedbirdsinbothcontrolgroup(70.1%)andtestgroup(69.4%)wereprotectedagainstchallengewithvirulentNDvirus.Howeverthereweresignificantlymorelossesofchick(p0.0001)andgrower(p=0.0171)chickensinthecontrolvillagesthanthetestvillages.Majorityofthelossesinthecontrolgroupwereduetotheinterveneddiseasesinthetestgroup.Theresultshighlighttheimportanceoftheseotherdiseasesincontributingtochickenlosses.WerecommendintegrationofcontrolofthesediseasesinNDcontrolprogramssoastosignificantlyreducelossesofespeciallychickandgrowerchickens.