South Africa takes steps to stop spread of bird flu

Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said the outbreak posed a risk to food security and trade measures in the form of imports could be adopted to manage the supply of fertilized eggs, table eggs and poultry meat.

The Minister added at a press conference that the Ministry of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, the Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency and industry were exploring applications to register possible vaccines to stop the disease.

This week, the Ministry of Health confirmed around 60 cases of H5 and H7 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in the country.

The central province of Gauteng is the most affected by the H7 strain, with 37 confirmed cases, while the eastern province of Mpumalanga, the northern province of Limpopo and the north-western province each have two confirmed cases, and the central Free State province has one confirmed case.

According to sources, the total number of chickens reported dead due to the disease was 107,705, while the number slaughtered was 1,318,521.

The ministry added that the southern province of the Western Cape was the worst affected by the H5 outbreak, with a total of seven HPAI H5 outbreaks reported, while the other three HPAI H5 outbreaks were in the southeastern province of KwaZulu-Natal . .

The entity reported an increasing number of farms testing positive for PCR H7 and H5 and urged industry to ensure the biosecurity of poultry farms to reduce the risk of introduction.

The importation of fertilized eggs has been facilitated for the broiler industry as a way to mitigate the impact of the flu.

All producers are also encouraged to enhance biosecurity measures, particularly to prevent contact with wild birds, including their droppings, which can be contained in boots and equipment.

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