Duck viral hepatitis is an acute and highly fatal infectious disease in ducklings. It is characterized by acute onset, rapid spread, and high mortality. The cause of the disease is duck hepatitis virus.

Symptoms and lesions: This disease is characterized by acute onset and short course. The ducklings lie on the ground, shrink their necks, move slowly, anorexia, kick their feet to make paddling movements, and die within 3 to 4 days. At the time of death, the head was tilted back, showing opisthotonus. The mortality rate is related to age, and the mortality rate of ducklings within 1 week of age can reach 100%. Mortality rates decrease with age. There was no death among ducks over 4 weeks old. The symptoms include liver enlargement, fragile texture, dull color, diffuse bleeding, enlarged gallbladder, brown bile, enlarged kidneys and spleen, etc.

Prevention: Breeding ducks can be immunized with attenuated vaccines or oil emulsion inactivated vaccines, so that the mother ducks can transfer maternal antibodies to their offspring, so that the offspring can survive in the critical first few weeks. Obtain immune protection within 1 day; attenuated vaccine can also be used to immunize 1-day-old ducklings.