Bird flu strain detected in George, Western Cape

Western Cape poultry owners are urged to heighten biosecurity measures as far as possible, as the first case of H7 High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza (HPAI) was diagnosed in George on the Garden Route on Thursday.

Cases have already been reported in Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Free State and Limpopo provinces

Avian influenza is a highly contagious viral infection that affects poultry and wild birds. Currently, two different strains are causing avian influenza outbreaks in South Africa, these are influenza A(H5N1) and influenza A(H7N6).

PHOTO: NICD SA

Western Cape Agriculture MEC, Dr. Ivan Meyer, said the George farm has been quarantined and culling on the farm has already started.

He further warned that the H5N1 HPAI virus that caused seven outbreaks in the Western Cape from April to June 2023, is still a threat from wild birds.

“In the past three months the Western Cape hasn’t experienced any further outbreaks in the commercial poultry industry. All the outbreaks reported in the period between April and June have been resolved. Whilst under quarantine, the farms had been depopulated, cleaned and disinfected twice with the State Veterinarian’s inspection. The quarantine was lifted, and the outbreaks were reported as resolved and disclosed to the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) and the World Organisation of Animal Health (WOHA) respectively.”

“Western Cape poultry owners are urged to heighten biosecurity measures as far as possible and be extremely cautious as to bringing in any new chickens or allowing visitors or vehicles into poultry farms. Moving chickens from infected provinces should be avoided at all costs as this has a severe impact on the entire Western Cape province if more cases of H7 HPAI are detected,” added Dr. Ivan Meyer, Western Cape Agriculture MEC.

According to the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, the current influenza A(H5N1) outbreaks have been ongoing since April 2023 and to date, 10 outbreaks in poultry (Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal) and 39 outbreaks in non-poultry birds (Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Gauteng, Mpumalanga and North West provinces) have been reported. The influenza A(H7N6) outbreaks have been ongoing since June 2023, and to date, 50 outbreaks to date have been reported in poultry farms (Free State, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, North West and KwaZulu-Natal provinces) and non-poultry birds in Gauteng.

State veterinarian and Director of Animal Health, Dr. Noluvuyo Magadla continues to appeal to poultry owners to adhere to the following general recommendations to prevent transmission of the disease between farms, which include:

·         Discouraging interprovincial movement of birds and advising farmers to avoid these movements until avian influenza outbreaks are under control;

·         Ensuring that you only bring healthy poultry onto your property;

·         Keeping new birds completely separate for two weeks and only mixing with your other birds if they remain healthy;

·         Not allowing anyone onto your property who has had contact with poultry in the previous 2 days;

·         Not visiting poultry owned by others;

·         Cleaning and disinfecting vehicles upon entering and exiting properties of mud;

·         Using footbaths to disinfect footwear when entering and leaving a poultry house; and

·         Keeping poultry away from wild birds and their body fluids.

Done By: Mitchum George