China and Russia pledge deeper strategic coordination at ASEAN summit talks
China said it is ready to "continuously" boost strategic coordination with Moscow. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Russian counterpart Sergey La...
The Netherlands, one of the world's largest egg exporters, has launched a pilot program on a laying-hen farm to vaccinate poultry against bird flu with the aim of achieving large-scale vaccination, the government said on Monday.
The highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, has killed or led to the culling of hundreds of millions of poultry globally in recent years, most of them laying hens, which sent egg prices rocketing. It can also spread to humans and other animals, raising fears of a new pandemic.
The Dutch pilot follows field tests that demonstrated the effectiveness of two vaccines last year. It will be conducted at one farm initially, and then potentially expanded to others, the government said in a statement.
"The aim is to investigate how the market responds to the sale of products (from vaccinated poultry) and to gain experience with the implementation of the surveillance program," it said.
The Netherlands opted for a gradual introduction because large-scale vaccination requires adjustments in veterinary infrastructure and can have trade consequences, the government said, without naming them.
Bird flu vaccination programs can sometimes trigger export bans, on concern that vaccinated birds not showing signs of infection could pose risks to healthy birds in the export countries. France's country-wide vaccination program in 2023 of ducks prompted several countries to ban French poultry on such concerns.
Chicks will be vaccinated at Dutch hatcheries before being moved to laying farms, with eggs sold only within the Netherlands. The program will run until early 2027.
"I am pleased that the poultry sector wants to take this step with me. Vaccination offers a huge opportunity to better control bird flu," said Agriculture Minister Femke Wiersma.
Australian researchers have pioneered a low-cost and scalable plasma-based method to produce ammonia gas directly from air, offering a green alternative to the traditional fossil fuel-dependent Haber-Bosch process.
A series of earthquakes have struck Guatemala on Tuesday afternoon, leading authorities to advise residents to evacuate from buildings as a precaution against possible aftershocks.
Archaeologists have uncovered a 3,500-year-old city in northern Peru that likely served as a key trade hub connecting ancient coastal, Andean, and Amazonian cultures.
A deadly mass shooting early on Monday (7 July) in Philadelphia's Grays Ferry neighbourhood left three men dead and nine others wounded, including teenagers, as more than 100 shots were fired.
On July 4, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Khankendi, reaffirming the deep-rooted alliance between the two nations.
The European Union is stepping up its health crisis preparedness by stockpiling essential medical supplies and boosting coordination among member states.
New artificial intelligence (AI) software is helping NHS hospitals in Hull reduce MRI scan times, enabling staff to scan more patients each day while improving accessibility for vulnerable groups.
France will impose its toughest outdoor smoking restrictions starting Monday, banning smoking at beaches, parks, playgrounds, and bus stops.
Scientists in Australia and the U.S. have developed an AI tool that could transform cancer care by revealing the hidden diversity of tumour cells and guiding more targeted therapies.
Singapore has launched its largest-ever study on paediatric food allergies, aiming to better understand and address the growing burden of allergic reactions among children.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment