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Poultry health course returns after five year break
The course will run from 24-28 June.
Avian influenza and Newcastle disease will be among the diseases covered.

The Pirbright Institute is relaunching its poultry health course after a five-year break.

Providing CPD training for veterinary surgeons, as well as technical staff and poultry managers, the week-long course will look at best practice in poultry health.

Experts from Pirbright, alongside guest lecturers from the poultry sector, will look at topics including enrichment, hatchery practice, and field investigations, as well as virological, bacteriological and parasitological poultry diseases.

Munir Iqbal, head of Pirbright’s Avian Influenza and Newcastle Disease group, will be providing insights into avian influenza and Ian Brown, who leads Pirbright’s Avian Virology Group, will be sharing his expertise on Newcastle disease.

The course will include demonstrations and lectures as well as practicals held at the University of Surrey.

Prof Brown said: “The course is specifically designed for those who work within the poultry industry and have a basic understanding of poultry health.

“By the end of the week, students will be able to recognise the clinical signs of key poultry diseases, perform a postmortem examination, and outline key diagnostic techniques including real-time PCR to detect viral genome, bacterial culturing, and microscopy.”

Prof Iqbal added: “In addition to recognising and understanding disease, and challenges to vaccination and vaccine failure, it will provide students with the ability to identify necessary biosecurity measures for a poultry farm, perform a field investigation, establish best practices for enrichment, and understand current industry issues including antimicrobial resistance.”

More details about the course, which will run from 24-28 June 2024, can be found on the Pirbright website.

Image © Shutterstock

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New guidelines published for wildlife disease surveillance

News Story 1
 A set of international guidelines for disease surveillance in wildlife has been updated for the first time since 2015.

Released by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the World Organisation for Animal Health, General Guidelines for Surveillance of Diseases, Pathogens and Toxic Agents in Free-ranging Wildlife is designed to help wildlife authorities and others working with wildlife carry out effective surveillance programmes.

The document, which cover areas including choosing appropriate strategies, safety and biosafety protocols, and ethical and legal considerations, can be read here.  

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Restricted zone extended after more bluetongue cases

After three new cases of bluetongue virus serotype 3 were detected along the Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire border, the restricted zone has been extended.

The zone now includes Buckinghamshire and part of Berkshire, as well as Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, City of Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, East Sussex, Essex, Greater London, part of Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, part of Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, part of Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Suffolk, Surrey, and West Sussex.

Susceptible animals in the restricted zone should only be moved if it is essential. A specific licence is needed to move a susceptible animal from within the restricted zone to outside of the zone.

Bluetongue is a notifiable disease. Suspected cases must be reported on 03000 200 301 in England or 03003 038 268 in Wales. In Scotland, suspected cases should be reported to the local field services office. In Northern Ireland, suspected cases should be reported to the DAERA Helpline on 0300 200 7840 or by contacting the local DAERA Direct Veterinary Office.

A map of the areas where restrictions apply can be found here.