Bird Flu Has Southern African Countries on High Alert

Namibia will be suspending all imports of live poultry, birds, and poultry products from South Africa (SA), due to the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak.

Namibia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform announced the decision via Facebook on Wednesday, 27 September, saying that “importation and in-transit movement” would be halted “until further notice”.

According to statistical estimates, Namibia consumes around 2 500 tons of chicken each month, which is predominantly sourced from SA due to the two countries’ nearby geographics.

Since the HPAI outbreak began in April, one poultry supplier has revealed that more than two million chickens on their farms have died. Another supplier estimated their loss to be around R220 million – a devastating blow for the industry in SA, which is one of the continent’s primary producers of poultry.

To make matters more complicated, the industry is currently battling two different strains of the virus: the infamous H5N1 and a new form which has been identified as H7N6. While the disease does not typically infect humans, a rise in cases of the virus jumping to other mammals currently has authorities concerned.

Image Credit: Sources