Description

Abstract: The Poultry Health for Development project of Avian Flu School International was developed in response to the need among rural households for information about poultry health and disease management. Poultry is a vital resource for rural families and communities across Africa, particularly for the poor. Women and children at the village level often raise chickens, ducks, guinea fowl, and other poultry. The sale of eggs and chickens provides money to buy food during droughts, to purchase materials for the home, and pay for school fees and health care costs, in addition to providing meat and eggs for consumption. Unfortunately, as much as 80 percent of smallholder poultry in Africa die from poultry diseases, despite the existence of several cheap and effective vaccines and treatments. Therefore, improving poultry health extension services to help prevent and more effectively treat poultry diseases has tremendous potential to improve the livelihoods and the health of the rural poor in Africa. Training workshops in developing countries using the Avian Flu School curriculum revealed that in areas where poultry have heavy disease burdens, smallholder poultry keepers did not see the relevance of highly pathogenic avian influenza. The Poultry Health for Development curriculum developed by the Avian Flu School International provides a basis for the design and implementation of appropriate poultry health disease prevention strategies, by asserting that poultry owners can be engaged to protect their flocks when they understand the poultry health and management issues that must be overcome for their protection.