TECHNICAL COLUMN
Lasers prevent the spreading of the Avian Influenza virus Wageningen University released their research on a poultry farm that suffered visits from wild waterfowl, which are a source of Avian Influenza virus. The study revealed that when the laser was in use, a 99.7% wild bird reduction rate was recorded. According to the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the Avian Influenza virus can infect humans, 15 countries since 2003 have recorded the Avian Influenza virus in humans. Most cases of the virus in people have been linked to contact with infected poultry.
notable from November to February, the typical bird migration period and when the Avian Influenza virus is more prevalent. Therefore, chickens in the free-range area had increased exposure to the virus, due to the regular occurrence of wild waterfowl during this time.
Wageningen Bioveterinary Research (WBVR), part of the Wageningen University, previously discovered a medium-sized waterfowl, known as a Mallard (an avian flu virus high-risk bird species) was frequenting a free-range area of a poultry farm from sunset to sunrise. This was
The project leader of the study, and epidemiologist at WBVR, Armin Elbers, explains that “several mallards came to visit the range between sunset and sunrise daily. They look for food and swim in puddles of water that are formed during the winter period by abundant rainfall in
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