How Does Exotic Newcastle Disease Spread?
END is spread primarily through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected birds, including the droppings and secretions from the nose, mouth, and eyes. The virus spreads rapidly among birds kept in confinement. The disease is spread easily by mechanical means; the virus can be picked up on shoes and clothing and carried from an infected flock to a healthy one. The disease is often spread by vaccination and debeaking crews, manure haulers, rendering-truck drivers, feed delivery personnel, poultry buyers, egg service people, and poultry farm owners and employees. The END virus can survive for several weeks in a warm and humid environment on birds’ feathers, manure, and other materials. It can survive indefinitely in frozen material. However, the virus is destroyed rapidly by dehydration and by the ultraviolet rays in sunlight.
