Zagro Singapore Pte Ltd offers Ultraxide™disinfectant to counter the bird flu outbreak happening in a number of Asian and EU countries.
Ultraxide™ is a high-performance liquid disinfectant that has the synergistic blend of Glutaraldehyde and Benzalkonium chloride (BKZ), allowing the disinfectant to kill viruses from the inside.
Widely used in past Avian Influenza outbreaks, Ultraxide™ was proven effective against the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus in a test conducted by the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Kasetsart University. The study showed that Ultraxide™ can inactivate the AI virus within one-minute contact time.
The Ultraxide™ disinfectant is approved and registered to use in numerous countries, including Australia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and more.
Bird flu outbreak
Avian Influenza, or commonly called bird flu, is a disease caused by the avian influenza virus and generally affects poultry and wild birds.Migratory wild birds are the usual carriers of the disease, but poultry shipments and wild bird trade can also play a part in how it spreads.
Symptoms of the avian flu in birds includes coughing, sneezing, lack of coordination, lack of energy and appetite, diarrhoea, nasal discharge, decreased egg production, and even sudden death. Some birds such as ducks, however, can be asymptomatic.
The strain found in bird flu outbreaks in countries Japan, South Korea, and India is the subtype H5N8. While this strain has not been reported to infect humans, it is highly pathogenic and lethal to wild birds and poultry. The common strain H5N1 was also found in several countries, including Israel, Russia, and several countries European countries.
Countries like Malaysia and the Philippines have declared the country free of H5N6 bird flu, but both nations are actively monitoring the H5N8 strain, banning imports of domestic and wild birds from countries that already confirmed the presence of the H5N8 strain.
Prevention and control of bird flu
To control or prevent an outbreak and to minimise economic impact, all birds within one-kilometre radius of an infected need to be culled, whether or not the birds are infected.
Implementing strict biosecurity in poultry farmsis also one way to ensure the flock is protected from the disease.
Biosecurity practices that need to be implemented include:
• Keeping the poultry in a protected environment by keeping them in a closed building
• Maintaining the good condition of poultry by providing access to clean and adequate food and water and using de-worming products and vaccine
• Controlling the people, materials, animals, and vehicles coming in and out of the farm
• Cleaning the farm buildings, coops, and equipment with effective disinfectants such as Ultraxide™
While the government imposes restrictions, poultry farmers can also take necessary steps to keep their farms free from bird flu.