DAHS Prevention and Control of Avian Influenza Series - No. 3

By DuPont Animal Health Solutions - With the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation warning that Avian Influenza (AI) could become endemic in Turkey, many neighbouring countries are taking preventative action.
calendar icon 13 March 2006
clock icon 3 minute read

The Importance of Vehicle Disinfection

Transmission of the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus has been strongly linked to vehicles in past Avian Influenza outbreaks and biosecurity experts DuPont Animal Health Solutions are advising that all vehicles entering or leaving poultry farms and surrounding areas should be cleaned and disinfected.

This Technical Bulletin has been written to provide useful advice on how to prevent vehicle-related spread of the deadly Avian Influenza pathogen.

Vehicle Disinfection Programme:

  • Wash down wheels, wheel arches, chassis and underbody on arrival and leaving a farm

  • Wash down Trailer / area where poultry are transported

  • Crates and Modules

  • Sheeting or other covers on vehicle

  • Feed delivery pipes

  • Avoid walking onto a farm unless footwear has been disinfected by use of a disinfectant foot-bath or similar

  • Use protective clothing as supplied by the farm

  • Follow the site's own biosecurity instructions as a minimum

  • Clean and disinfect vehicles after each journey

  • Use a combination approach to first clean and degrease the vehicle and all contaminated surfaces, followed with the use of disinfectant with proven activity against AI

  • Use products with known efficacy in removing biofilms from surfaces. These may be difficult to clean and can harbour and protect many microorganisms

  • Wash and disinfect the vehicle at the end of the working day. Include all surfaces which have come into contact with contaminated material, including all equipment, delivery pipes, sheeting, covers and especially the vehicle drivers cab.

In the 2003 Dutch Avian Influenza crisis the Dutch State Veterinary Service (RVV) recommended the use of broad-spectrum disinfectant DuPontTM Virkon® S for the control of Avian Influenza. Virkon® S has been proven effective against Avian Influenza at a dilution rate of 1:320 and is recommended by the highly regarded AUSVETPLAN (Australia and New Zealand's Emergency Disease Control protocol) for AI biosecurity, including vehicle disinfection.

Related Items

Technical Advice on Foot Dip Best Practice
Technical Advice on Biosecurity at Border Controls
Virkon® S - the world's leading Avian Influenza (Fowl Plague) virus disinfectant
Independent recommendations, efficacy data, and reports
Disease Prevention Measures

Source: DuPont Animal Health Solutions - January 2006

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