USSEC participated in a meeting at the Egyptian Poultry Association (EPA)’s corporate office in Cairo on March 9.  The topic of the gathering was the “Complex Disease Situation in the Egyptian Poultry Industry.”  Approximately 40 participants representing all of Egypt’s key major poultry companies attended.
USSEC consultant Dr. Gary Butcher of the University of Florida is an expert on poultry diseases and led the discussion.  The main topics of discussion were: Genotype 7 Newcastle Disease; H9 and H5 Avian Influenza; Variant Infectious Bronchitis; and Mycoplasmosis.  Options for control and eradication of these diseases were discussed.  Egypt’s poultry industry is facing many disease challenges and a better understanding of the treatment and vaccination options is essential if these problems are to be controlled.  The deficiencies in many of the current vaccines were described and the need for improved biosecurity was emphasized.