Risk factors associated with seropositivity to Avian influenza A/H5 virus in household farms in Phu Tho and Quang Ninh provinces

Abstract

A cross-sectional study to detect avian influenza H5 antibodies and to identify risk factors associated
with household farm-level seropositivity was carried out at 200 poultry household farms in Phu Tho and Quang Ninh provinces from July to October, 2017. At the selected farms, the farm owners were interviewed on farming administration, bio-safety practices and serum samples were collected. The studied results showed that the rate of farms at small-scale, using homemade feed and well water for poultry was 85%, 57.5% and 66%, respectively. The several issues, such as: farm hygiene, waste treatment and vaccination were not paid much attention, when the rate of the daily cleaned poultry houses was 43%, the rate of the untreated waste was 52.5% and the rate of vaccinated poultry farms was 14% only. The A/H5 seropositive sample rate before vaccination in Phu Tho and Quang Ninh provinces was 10.5% and 1%, respectively. The main risk factors associated with the seropositivity to influenza A/H5 virus included the use of homemade feeds with unsafe ingredients, the use of untreated
well water and the untreated waste.