Ducks have been raised commercially in Bangladesh for a long time, but many die from disease. One of the most important is plague, a deadly contagious disease of ducks also known as duck virus enteritis.

A scientist named Baudet first discovered the disease, identified as a duck die-off, in the Netherlands in 1923. Duck plague is now found in almost every country. Domestic and wild ducks and geese of all ages are naturally susceptible to the virus.

The virus spreads to healthy birds through contact with infected birds and through contaminated feed and water. In Bangladesh the disease spreads from one area to another through the buying and selling of sick ducks at markets. Insects can also carry the infection, but it does not spread through eggs.

There are many ways to recognise plague. Infected ducks lose their appetite but drink water again and again. Fluid runs from the eyes and nose. They fear light and keep their eyes closed because of inflammation of the eye membrane. Laying ducks lay fewer eggs, and birds keep their heads down.

Their movement becomes uncoordinated and they get diarrhoea, with loose droppings sticking around the tail. Infected ducks die suddenly, and even healthy adult ducks die. Mortality ranges from 5 to 100 per cent.

To protect sick ducks from secondary bacterial infection, they can be treated with any one of the powerful antibiotics such as enrofloxacin, norfloxacin or ciprofloxacin.

There is no specific treatment for viral diseases, so ducks must be vaccinated to prevent the disease. That way farm ducks will be protected from plague.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.