“Chicken Plague” in Syria: The Truth Between Farmers' Cries and Official Assurances

The poultry sector in Syria has witnessed a wave of mass deaths in poultry flocks over the past weeks across several provinces, including rural Damascus, Homs, Hama, Latakia, and parts of Aleppo and Idlib. Social media platforms have shared images and videos of thousands of dead birds, while these cases have been associated with popular disease names such as “chicken plague” or “Newcastle,” raising widespread fears among both farmers and consumers, and driving up poultry prices in some areas.

Heavy Losses for Farmers

A number of poultry farm owners in rural Damascus confirmed that the mortality rate of young chickens exceeded 60%, while laying hens lost about 55% of their productivity, with the problem continuing for nearly a month, despite attempts at quarantine and vaccination. This led to an increase in the prices of broilers and eggs, reaching sharp increases of 100 lira per kilo in some areas like Daraa and rural Damascus within just a few days.

Official Reassurances Between Denial and Warning

In contrast, the General Director of the Poultry Institution, Fadel Haj Hashem, confirmed through the “SANA” agency that the sector is free of any serious infections or unusual epidemic diseases, describing the information circulating on social media as “incorrect and aimed at inciting panic.”
The head of the Veterinary Doctors Syndicate, Hussein Al-Balan, emphasized that the mentioned diseases only affect birds and do not transmit to humans, confirming that no strains of avian influenza have been detected in Syrian laboratories, making poultry consumption safe from a health perspective.
However, the official reassurances were not without contradiction, as the Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management issued an urgent warning about the “chicken plague,” indicating that a number of recent infections had been recorded, raising further suspicion about the transparency of information dissemination and crisis management at a sensitive time.

A Crisis of Trust Between Farmers and Official Authorities

The full story of the Syrian poultry sector today reveals a significant gap between what farmers see on the ground and what official authorities announce. With prices continuing to rise, burdening citizens, the question remains about the sector's ability to withstand this wave, whether it is caused by natural seasonal diseases or a potential epidemic that everyone is trying to keep quiet about to avoid its economic and political repercussions.