Newcastle disease prompts closure of poultry farms in Luzon

Owners of several poultry farms have decided to cease operations to avoid going bankrupt due to the Newcastle disease affecting chickens in parts of Luzon.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) said that the virus has spread to the provinces of Ilocos Norte, Pangasinan, Zambales, Tarlac and Pampanga, Laguna, Quezon and even Quezon City.

A report on GMA'S Unang balita said that according to poultry owners in the affected provinces, their chickens started dying from the disease in November last year.

The DA had said that the disease killed more than a million chickens between October and December last year.

It said that it has advised poultry owners to give their chickens complete vitamins to prevent the spread of the virus.

People exposed to chickens with the Newcastle disease may be affected with mild conjunctivitis and flu-like symptoms.

The DA, meanwhile, clarified that humans who eat chicken will not be affected by the disease. —ALG, GMA News