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Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: http://www.apanews.net/apa.php?page=show_article_eng&id_article=87269
Lesotho-Africa-Flu
Lesotho embarks on avian flu awareness campaign
APA-Maseru (Lesotho) Lesotho?s agriculture and food security ministry has embarked on weeklong avian flu awareness campaign in the Thaba-Tseka district, 200 km from the capital Maseru.
No cases of avian flu have been reported in Lesotho and the Southern African region, but it has been discovered in some parts of West and North Africa, notably Nigeria and Egypt.
The Acting District Veterinary Officer, Mots\?oane Mats\?aba, told APA on Thursday that since the beginning of the week, his ministry has been visiting schools and communities, educating people about the killer disease.
?We chose schools as our main focus area because students can disseminate information quickly to their friends and families, something that will help the ministry to achieve its goal,? he said.
Mats\?aba showed that avian flu can be found in the bird family which includes wild birds, chickens, ducks and others.
Since the disease is infectious, he added, human beings can get it through physical contact with infected birds or eggs, body fluids and faeces, sharing living space with the birds and eating infected meat.
The infected bird lives for 12 to 24 hours and then dies and the infected person also dies within a short period of time as the disease is not curable.
The community in the Bokong area expressed gratitude, saying that they were not aware of the disease and the campaign has helped them to be more careful when dealing with birds.
The campaign ends on Friday.
Lesotho-Africa-Flu
Lesotho embarks on avian flu awareness campaign
APA-Maseru (Lesotho) Lesotho?s agriculture and food security ministry has embarked on weeklong avian flu awareness campaign in the Thaba-Tseka district, 200 km from the capital Maseru.
No cases of avian flu have been reported in Lesotho and the Southern African region, but it has been discovered in some parts of West and North Africa, notably Nigeria and Egypt.
The Acting District Veterinary Officer, Mots\?oane Mats\?aba, told APA on Thursday that since the beginning of the week, his ministry has been visiting schools and communities, educating people about the killer disease.
?We chose schools as our main focus area because students can disseminate information quickly to their friends and families, something that will help the ministry to achieve its goal,? he said.
Mats\?aba showed that avian flu can be found in the bird family which includes wild birds, chickens, ducks and others.
Since the disease is infectious, he added, human beings can get it through physical contact with infected birds or eggs, body fluids and faeces, sharing living space with the birds and eating infected meat.
The infected bird lives for 12 to 24 hours and then dies and the infected person also dies within a short period of time as the disease is not curable.
The community in the Bokong area expressed gratitude, saying that they were not aware of the disease and the campaign has helped them to be more careful when dealing with birds.
The campaign ends on Friday.