Medion was selected as one of the speakers at the 2023 Western Poultry Disease Conference (WPDC) on March 13rd -15th 2023 in Sacramento, California. This conference raised the topic “The Impact of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza on the Poultry Industry” and was organized by the Western Poultry Disease Conference (WPDC) Foundation.
WPDC 2023 keynote speakers include David Swayne (an expert on AI) from Cornell University, and the United State Department of Agriculture (USDA).Aside from keynote speakers, there were poster sessions and oral presentations by researchers from top universities in the United States, Canada, and Asia, as well as animal health companies. The WPDC is attended by veterinarians/animal health practitioners, researchers, and professionals related to poultry management and health.
Melina Jonas as the representative of Medion, gave an oral presentation titled “Epidemilogy and Control of Avian Influenza in Indonesia – Industry Perspective” on Monday, 13rd March 2023. This presentation was the result of research, conducted by the Medion team, including Wahyu Haryanto, Aprilla Sahesti, Elly Setiawaty, Rizqi Ardhiarini, and Christina Kusumaningrum
Melina presented the findings of her research, which revealed that Avian Influenza (AI) has been circulating in Indonesia for the past 20 years. Vaccination is the government’s policy for preventing this disease. Vaccination can reduce the number of AI cases, clinical symptoms, and deaths, but but not the emergence of new viruses. This is due in part to differences in vaccination practices between poultry sectors. Rapid detection of field-changing viruses is critical for developing a vaccine that provides good protection.
The Medion surveillance program showed that H5N1 2.1 circulated from 2003 to 2016, then was replaced by H5N1 2.3.2.1c in 2012, and in 2019 two samples of 2.3.2.1c were detected. H5N1 2.3.4.4b was recently discovered. H9N2 H9.4.2.5 was isolated from 2016 to the present. Chickens without H9N2 vaccination could be prone to recurrent H5N1 outbreaks. Vaccine isolate contributes to protection. Recent government policies allowing independently controlled isolates to be used in vaccines may allow industry to strengthen surveillance programs and more rapidly update vaccine isolates.
As a manufacturer of poultry vaccines in Indonesia, Medion continues to be committed to conducting research on viruses that attack poultry, including Avian Influenza (AI). This research result led to the development and innovation of the Medion vaccine, “Medivac” which has been produced 30 years ago. Meanwhile, Medivac is used in all provinces of Indonesia and 15 countries in Asia and Africa.