Samples taken following the recent unexplained deaths of Muscovy ducklings are still being tested at the Cornell University Duck Research Laboratory, according to Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) Dr Dwight Waldron.
Waldron, in a telephone interview explained that the testing process is lengthy, particularly since the illness that affected the ducklings remains a mystery.
“They have to determine the cause of the illness. They have nothing to work with so they have to work from scratch. They have to go through all the tests to determine what is the illness affecting the ducklings,” he explained. In addition, he said the GLDA’s Hatchery will remain closed until after the results from the samples are returned.
The GLDA, on May 18th, had issued a notice advising that its surveillance team had seen an increased mortality rate among the Muscovy ducklings being hatched at its hatchery. The agency said that it had also been told by some farmers that a “similar occurrence was taking place on a number of farms throughout the various regions.” Based on symptoms, the GLDA suspects farms are affected by the Duck Viral Hepatitis (DVH). The virus is a highly fatal, contagious disease of young ducklings between 1 and 28 days old. Six farms were reportedly affected by the illness. The GLDA had said that should the results from the Cornell University laboratory confirm its suspicions of DVH, it suspects that the disease was introduced into Guyana by “perhaps the illegal importation of hatching eggs or ducklings.”
After the GLDA announced the increased mortality rate among Muscovy ducklings and ordered a halt on breeding activities, farmers had told this newspaper that their business is at a standstill and they are experiencing losses daily.
