FAISALABAD: Pakistani scientists have developed a vaccine that will save poultry birds from Newcastle disease (Ranikhet), which kills the birds and causes losses of billions of rupees to the industry.
It is a first of its kind vaccine produced through cell culture that can bear temperatures of up to 26 degrees Celsius, while imported vaccines that cannot tolerate temperatures above eight degrees Celsius and are supposed to be kept in a cool chain right from production to usage.
The new vaccine is cheaper than imported ones and will help save billions of rupees annually.
Newcastle disease, also called Ranikhet, the name of an Indian town where the disease was first detected, has badly hurt the poultry sector as thousands of birds have died because of the virus, say poultry farmers. The mortality rate of birds has shot up to 20 percent and above and in some cases farmers have lost their entire stock of birds.
A leading poultry farmer, Dr Sajjad Randhawa, said that the vaccine developed by scientists at University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) was more effective in protecting chicks from the disease. He pointed out that poultry was becoming the second largest and fastest-growing industry in Pakistan but had faced serious challenges like Newcastle disease in recent years.
He suggested that the government offer incentives to shield the industry from crippling losses.
UAF Vice Chancellor Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan said poultry, after cotton, had emerged as the second largest industry, employing millions of people, with around one billion birds in poultry farms across the country.
The new vaccine, named ThermoVac, had a longer shelf life in normal temperatures and would not only help save billions of rupees but also increase productivity and profits of farmers, he said.
At present, Pakistan imports 90 percent of the vaccines it needs against animal diseases.
Pakistan Agricultural Research Board (PARB) Chief Executive Dr Noorul Islam, while praising UAF’s role, suggested that researchers should come up with solutions for the industry and address the issues faced by the people. He stressed that the new vaccine was the need of the hour and was an outcome of applied research and product development that would address woes of poultry farmers.
He said PARB was making efforts to promote demand-driven applied research activities and offered the board’s cooperation in running the second phase of the vaccine development project to advance research work.
Faculty of Veterinary Sciences Dean Professor Dr Zafar Randhawa said poultry’s contribution to agriculture and livestock was 6.4 percent and 11.5 percent, respectively, and it had a 28.5 percent share in meat production.
Internews
