Uganda sounds bird flu alarm after cases in south Sudan
Sept 22, 2006 (KAMPALA) ? Ugandan authorities have stepped up surveillance measures to prevent possible cross-border transmission of the deadly H5N1 bird flu after cases were confirmed in neighboring southern Sudan.
Health ministry spokesman Paul Kaggwa said officials in the country?s northern districts bordering Sudan were on alert and medical teams were being trained for a possible outbreak of the virus which can be deadly to humans.
"We have sent out a warning to all districts, especially those bordering Sudan, and the national task force on bird flu is meeting to assess the situation," Kaggwa said.
On September 13, health authorities in Juba, the capital of autonomous southern Sudan, confirmed an H5N1 outbreak among domestic poultry in the town and said they were investigating two likely other cases.
The outbreak, confirmed by laboratories in the federal capital, Khartoum, and Britain, has not infected any people but it was the first to be reported in south Sudan and sparked deep concern in Uganda.
"Juba, being a two-hour drive from the Ugandan border, makes it possible for the deadly virus to easily spread across into Uganda," Kaggwa said.
Sudan shares a lengthy border with Egypt, which has suffered more from bird flu than any other country outside Asia, from which the virus began spreading earlier this year.
H5N1, which has killed more than 140 people, mostly in Asia, since 2003, was reported in northern and central Sudan in April but had not spread to the south.
The only human case thus far reported in sub-Saharan Africa has been in the Red Sea state of Djibouti.
Health authorities warn Africa is at particular risk because of the close proximity of people and poultry and the large numbers of migratory birds it hosts.
Cases have also been reported in west Africa, including Nigeria, Niger and Cameroon.
Although the flu does not spread easily between people, those who come in contact with sick birds can contract it and scientists say millions of people worldwide could die if the strain mutates into a disease communicable among humans.
Sept 22, 2006 (KAMPALA) ? Ugandan authorities have stepped up surveillance measures to prevent possible cross-border transmission of the deadly H5N1 bird flu after cases were confirmed in neighboring southern Sudan.
Health ministry spokesman Paul Kaggwa said officials in the country?s northern districts bordering Sudan were on alert and medical teams were being trained for a possible outbreak of the virus which can be deadly to humans.
"We have sent out a warning to all districts, especially those bordering Sudan, and the national task force on bird flu is meeting to assess the situation," Kaggwa said.
On September 13, health authorities in Juba, the capital of autonomous southern Sudan, confirmed an H5N1 outbreak among domestic poultry in the town and said they were investigating two likely other cases.
The outbreak, confirmed by laboratories in the federal capital, Khartoum, and Britain, has not infected any people but it was the first to be reported in south Sudan and sparked deep concern in Uganda.
"Juba, being a two-hour drive from the Ugandan border, makes it possible for the deadly virus to easily spread across into Uganda," Kaggwa said.
Sudan shares a lengthy border with Egypt, which has suffered more from bird flu than any other country outside Asia, from which the virus began spreading earlier this year.
H5N1, which has killed more than 140 people, mostly in Asia, since 2003, was reported in northern and central Sudan in April but had not spread to the south.
The only human case thus far reported in sub-Saharan Africa has been in the Red Sea state of Djibouti.
Health authorities warn Africa is at particular risk because of the close proximity of people and poultry and the large numbers of migratory birds it hosts.
Cases have also been reported in west Africa, including Nigeria, Niger and Cameroon.
Although the flu does not spread easily between people, those who come in contact with sick birds can contract it and scientists say millions of people worldwide could die if the strain mutates into a disease communicable among humans.