S. African Vets in Talks on How to Manage H5N2 Bird Flu Outbreak

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...SOH8BN5O7J.DTL

S. African Vets in Talks on How to Manage Bird Flu Outbreak
Bloomberg April 12, 2011 04:00 AM

(Adds comment from World Organization for Animal Health in fourth paragraph.)

April 13 (Bloomberg) -- South African veterinarians are trying to find ways of managing an outbreak of bird flu in the Western Cape province, said Wouter Kriel, a spokesman for the provincial agricultural ministry...

[Shannon Bennett]

Re: S. African Vets in Talks on How to Manage H5N2 Bird Flu Outbreak

This is H5N2 not H5N1. Interesting...

[Pathfinder]

Re: S. African Vets in Talks on How to Manage H5N2 Bird Flu Outbreak

Zim bans SA chicken imports

Eyewitness News | 51 Minutes Ago

Zimbabwe banned chicken imports from South Africa on Friday after an outbreak of avian flu in the Western Cape.
...
Veterinary services official William Shereni told the Herald newspaper that the outbreak of H5N2 in the Western Cape must not be allowed to spread.

Full text:

http://www.ewn.co.za/articleprog.aspx?id=64007

[Sally Furniss]

Re: S. African Vets in Talks on How to Manage H5N2 Bird Flu Outbreak

translation from Arabic

28/04/2011
Kuwait - a decision to ban on the temporary import of all types of live birds and hatching eggs and chicks one day old laying hens and broiler from the Republic of South Africa, on the background of reports from the World Organization for Animal Health OIE reports the appearance of bird flu in South Africa. http://www.alqabas.com.kw/Article.as...&date=28042011

[Pathfinder]

Re: S. African Vets in Talks on How to Manage H5N2 Bird Flu Outbreak

Bird flu hits Southern Cape farm

2011-07-03 08:02

George - Specially trained ostriches have had to be culled after testing positive for avian flu, the Sunday Times reported.

The "prize" ostriches had been trained to give rides to visitors and had been a feature of Highgate Farm, outside of Oudtshoorn, for over 80 years.

Arenhold Hooper owns the farm, which is one of 18 where the outbreak occurred...

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Bird-flu-hits-Southern-Cape-farm-20110702

[Pathfinder]

Re: S. African Vets in Talks on How to Manage H5N2 Bird Flu Outbreak

Ostrich farmers compensated after bird flu outbreak

Malungelo Booi | 6 Hour(s) Ago

More than half of the ostrich farmers affected by an outbreak of avian flu have been compensated by national government, agriculture officials said on Thursday.

So far about R40 million has been allocated to Western Cape farmers.

At least 30,000 birds have been culled since the start of the outbreak in April.

More...

http://www.eyewitnessnews.co.za/Story.aspx?Id=71040

[Pathfinder]

Re: S. African Vets in Talks on How to Manage H5N2 Bird Flu Outbreak

Bird flu batters SA ostrich farms

Sep 20 2011 07:52 AFP

Oudtshoorn - Once filled with hundreds of ostriches, the fields of the Klein Karoo are strangely empty.

An outbreak of bird flu has forced South African farmers to slaughter thousands of ostriches, undermining the economy of this valley in the south of the country.

First detected on April 9, bird flu spread quickly through the ostrich stock, raised mainly for their meat.

South Africa accounts for 77% of the global ostrich market, and the EU buys 90% of its exports. Or did, until Brussels banned the meat because of the outbreak.

"The birds won't look sick or anything. If you look at them, they look healthy. The virus can't be transmitted to humans, and it is destroyed while cooking," said Anton Kruger, head of the South African Ostrich Business Chamber.

"The primary risk is that the virus could mutate and then affect poultry."
The virus afflicting South African farms is known as H5N2, related to the highly contagious H5N1 virus that struck Asia in 2004.

A single positive test results in an entire farm going under quarantine, and all the ostriches are slaughtered. About 33 000 have been killed so far, about a quarter of the region's total population. They end up as fertiliser.

More...

http://www.fin24.com/Economy/Bird-flu-batters-SA-ostrich-farms-20110920