Thousands of typhoid-infected chickens destroyed by BAHA
The history of Fowl Typhoid in Belize goes as far back as 1986. Fowl Typhoid affects chicken and turkeys. The typhoid has been detected on a farm in Orange Walk during routine inspections that it carries out of poultry plants. The Belize Agricultural Health Authority team has been scouting a five-mile radius while conducting tests on birds in the area to see if they have the disease. According to the Poultry Health Coordinator, Doctor Joe Myers, BAHA has been destroying birds and have implemented strict control measures of movement of poultry.
Via Phone: Dr. Joe Myers, Poultry Health Coordinator, BAHA
“To be exact we destroyed twelve hundred birds, and eleven hundred and thirty laying table eggs and I’m not really sure of the amount, but a good amount of the feed also because it can be transmitted via feed. So typhoid is a feed that affects chickens and turkeys, not people. It is caused by a bacteria called salmonella gallinarum—it’s not a bacteria on food-safety concern. This disease basically can affect birds of all ages but particularly it is of great importance in layers because of the way that it could spread. Basically layers, their productive period is up to seventy weeks, while boilers are only six to six and a half weeks. So therefore the longevity of the bacteria will be cut short.”
Jose Sanchez
“Are there any visible symptoms that people would be able to see?”
Via Phone: Dr. Joe Myers
“Yes, of course. some of the signs you see in birds with typhoid is listlessness. Well let’s start on depending of the purpose of the bird: in layers, you have reduced egg production, high morbidity; birds get sick but don’t die and they could have a high mortality or low mortality whereby a lot may die or none dying at all. 
The problem with birds that survive the disease become carriers and they then can spread the disease to birds that were not affected. One of the most important thing here is that fowl typhoid is what we call locally as blood poison. And it can present from ruffled feathers to listlessness, loss of appetite, diarrhea with consequence dehydration, weakness and a whole lot of other symptoms.”
The BAHA stresses the fact that the disease does not affect people.
