June 25, 2013

Newcastle disease virus infects Cypriot poultry farms

The Newcastle disease virus was discovered in three poultry farms in the Mammari area on the outskirts of Nicosia and 15% of Cypriot poultry has been affected.

Authorities estimate that it will take at least three weeks before the Newcastle disease virus is contained and normal operations can resume at the three farms.

The disease is estimated to have cost the farms over €300,000 (US$394,000). As the authorities attempt to eradicate the disease, 15,000 chickens will be destroyed.

Meanwhile, the investigation as to the source of the disease is on-going, with the possibility that it could have originated at a nearby poultry farm located in the Turkish occupied area in Mammari - this part of the investigation will be undertaken by the UN.

Agriculture Minister Nicos Kouyialis has assured that humans are not at risk from the disease and that tests have been conducted at the island's other poultry farms to ensure that it has not spread beyond Mammari.