An ICARS-supported study examines chicken vaccination practices among commercial layer farms in Tanzania, highlighting gaps in the uptake, completeness and timeliness of vaccination schedules.
Published in Vaccine: X, the cross-sectional study assessed vaccination practices across 200 commercial layer chicken farms in Dar es Salaam, Morogoro and Unguja between March and June 2023. The study explored vaccination uptake, schedule completeness, timeliness, and farmers’ knowledge, attitudes and practices related to vaccination.
The findings show that while vaccination against nationally recommended core diseases was common, important gaps remain. Although 74% of farms vaccinated against Newcastle disease, infectious bursal disease and fowl pox, 47.5% had incomplete vaccination schedules and 93% reported at least one vaccination outside the recommended timeframe. Only 5% of farms reported vaccinating against bacterial diseases.
The study highlights the need for targeted interventions that account for farmer-level and farm-level factors, including knowledge, location, production scale, vaccine availability and housing systems. Strengthening poultry vaccination programmes can help improve chicken health and productivity, reduce reliance on antimicrobials, and contribute to antimicrobial resistance mitigation in agri-food systems.
