Poultry flocks in South Africa, West Africa hit by avian flu

Since the start of July, nine new outbreaks of HPAI in poultry linked to the H5N1 virus variant have occurred in South Africa.

Africa and middle east map on a globe with earth map in the background.
Africa and middle east map on a globe with earth map in the background.
wael_alreweie | Bigstock.com

Since the start of July, nine new outbreaks of HPAI in poultry linked to the H5N1 virus variant have occurred in South Africa.

According to the latest reports from the national veterinary agency to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), these bring the country’s total outbreaks since March of this year to 44. Directly impacted have been more than 2.76 million poultry. 

Registering cases have been several commercial ostrich flocks, as well as unspecified poultry, in the provinces of Gauteng, Eastern Cape, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. The most recent outbreaks were confirmed on July 19. 

Recent civil unrest in South Africa  has added to the already challenging conditions for the country’s poultry sector. One leading company alone has estimated its losses at more than US$1 million as a result of the disruption. 

H5N8 HPAI “resolved” in South African poultry sector

At the end of July, the national animal health agency declared to the OIE that the situation with respect to this virus in poultry had been “resolved.”

According to OIE reports, this virus variant was first detected in South African in June of 2017. Broiler breeders at a commercial premises in Mpumalanga were first to test positive for this virus. Since then, 114  outbreaks have been confirmed. Directly impacted have been more than 5.9 million birds. 

With the most recent cases identified at a commercial ostrich farm in Western Cape in November of 2020, it is thought that the H5N8 variant has now been eliminated from South Africa’s poultry sector. 

New cases of HPAI among South African wild birds

Since the start of July, the veterinary authority has confirmed that wild birds at a further nine locations have tested positive for the H5N1 HPAI virus. These included a variety of wild bird species and one hobby flock of chickens in Cape Town, other regions of Western Cape, Gauteng and Eastern Cape.

Since the start of the current wave of outbreaks linked to this virus in March of this year, 154 cases have been identified of virus-positive birds. 

Avian flu returns to Ghana

More than 10,000 poultry in the West African state have died from HPAI, reported news agency Xinhua in mid-July.

Affected were seven farms in the southern coastal regions of Greater Accra, Central, and Volta. More than 5,800 birds are reported to have died, and around 4,500 have been culled to prevent further spread of the infection. 

While the virus type is not identified in this report, the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) indicates that the H5N1 HPAI variant has been detected in Ghana since 2017. 

In the official notification to the OIE, Ghana’s veterinary authority records all seven outbreaks occurring among village poultry flocks of between 57 and 6,600 poultry in the last week of June. Presence of an HPAI virus of the H5 was confirmed. 

All affected flocks appear to be within around 30 kilometers of the capital city, Accra. 

Last time the H5 virus was detected in the country was in July of 2018. Bordering Ghana to the east is Togo, where the H5N1 HPAI virus has been present since early June of this year. 

Following the outbreak, Ghana suspended poultry imports from Togo, Niger, Burkina Faso, Niger, Mauritania and Senegal as a precaution, reported Thomson Reuters Foundation

Avian flu situation stable in Togo

According to recent reports to the OIE, no new cases of HPAI have been detected in Togo (Togolese Republic).

After an absence of around 20 months, the H5N1 HPAI variant was detected at two adjacent farms in the southern Maritime region in early June. 

Affected were two farms, each with a flock of around 1,000 laying hens. Of these, 752 birds died, and the rest were destroyed. 

Also located in West Africa, Togo shares an international frontier with Ghana. 

Losses mount in Nigerian avian flu outbreak series

Following a nine-month hiatus, the H5N1 HPAI virus returned to Nigeria in December of 2020. 

Official notifications from the national animal health agency confirms 89 outbreaks in poultry. Almost 487,000 poultry have been directly impacted by the disease, including more than 78,000 mortalities.

According to the latest notification to the OIE, 17 outbreaks across six states were confirmed between February 10 and June 26 this year. 

Since the first cases at the end of last year, the infection has spread to poultry in 12 of Nigeria’s states. 

View our continuing coverage of the global avian influenza situation.

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