Avian Influenza in Low and Middle-Income
Countries (LMICs): Outbreaks, Vaccination Challenges and Economic
Impact
Deepak Subedi1#,
Muhammad Haris Raza Farhan2#*, Abhisek Niraula1,
Prajjwal Shrestha3, Deepak Chandran4, Krishna
Prasad Acharya5 and Muhammad Ahmad6#*
1Department
of Poultry Science, College of Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA; 2National
Reference Laboratory of Veterinary Drug Residues (HZAU) and MAO Key
Laboratory for Detection of Veterinary Drug Residues, Huazhong
Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China; 3Department
of Agriculture, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Pine Bluff, AR
71601, USA; 4Department of Animal Husbandry, Government
of Kerala, Palakkad, Kerala, 679335, India; 5Department
of Livestock Services (DLS), Lalitpur 44600, Nepal; 6Institute
of Physiology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Science,
University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
*Corresponding author:
harisraza524@gmail.com;
mahmad118@yahoo.com
#These
authors contributed equally
Abstract
Avian influenza (AI) outbreaks pose severe
challenges to low and middle-income countries such as Nepal, Nigeria,
Bangladesh, Ghana, South Africa, and Indonesia, leading to profound economic
crises with far-reaching consequences. The multifaceted impacts of AI outbreaks
on low-income economies shed light on the intricate relationship between disease
control and financial stability. By reviewing the implications for the poultry
industry, trade restrictions, food security, public health, government
legislation, and socio-economic vulnerabilities, we provide
a comprehensive overview of the economic ramifications of AI outbreaks. AI
outbreaks cause substantial disruptions in the poultry industry, resulting in
significant financial losses for farmers and related businesses. The
poultry sector contributes 4%, 1.4-1.6%, 6-8%, and 14% to the national GDPs of
Nepal, Bangladesh, Nigeria, and Ghana respectively. Imposing trade restrictions
on affected regions also hampers international trade, reducing revenue and
foreign exchange earnings. This, in turn, affects food security as poultry
products serve as vital sources of protein and nutrition in low and
middle-income countries. Moreover, AI outbreaks adversely impact environmental
sustainability by culling infected birds.
To Cite This Article:
Subedi D, Farhan MHR, Niraula A, Shrestha P,
Chandran D, Acharya KP and Ahmad M, 2024. Avian influenza in low and
middle-income countries(LMICs): outbreaks, vaccination challenges, and economic
impact. Pak Vet J, 44(1): 9-17. http://dx.doi.org/10.29261/pakvetj/2024.139