... is another name for fowl pest. It's so called because it was identified in Newcastle–upon–Tyne in 1927 (having previously been identified in Java, Indonesia, in 1926).
Wikipedia notes that it may have been prevalent from as early as 1898, when all the domestic fowl in north–west Scotland were wiped out by a disease that was never identified.
Newcastle disease can cause mild symptoms in humans exposed to infected birds (e.g. in poultry processing plants). There is no known cure, but the use of prophylactic vaccines and sanitary measures reduces the likelihood of outbreaks.
© Haydn Thompson 2017