Over the past month, six further outbreaks of HPAI have been officially reported by South Africa.
According to these most recent notifications to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), around 441,000 more poultry have been involved in the country’s long-running battle to control the H5N1 HPAI virus serotype.
While two of these outbreaks began at the end of last year, the others started during January and February.
Commercial ostriches in Western Cape were affected by the infection during November and December of 2021. Sixteen birds tested positive for the virus but none died or was culled, according to the report.
Of the South African outbreaks that started so far this year, the same virus was detected on one out of 309 ostriches at a Western Cape farm in mid-January. Later in the same month, around 2,000 birds of unspecified type died out of a total flocks of 476,000 at a farm in the same province.
Other HPAI outbreaks occurred during February in Gauteng province, Affected were one small farm and one non-commercial flock comprising 250 and 15 birds, respectively.
So far, the current HPAI outbreak series in South African poultry has involved 85 locations and more than 4.54 million commercial birds. The report series began in early March of 2021.
Nigeria confirms 36 new HPAI outbreaks
Of the latest HPAI outbreaks registered with the OIE, three began in December or January, while the rest started in the period February 6-23. Presence of the H5N1 HPAI virus serotype was detected on 25 commercial farms, and in 11 backyard flocks.
Of the around 183,000 birds involved in these latest outbreaks, the majority were laying hens (where the poultry type was specified). Largest flock to be affected was one with 102,345 layer birds.
Located in the north of Nigeria, the state of Kano accounted for the most of these outbreaks. However, cases were also detected in nine other states.
These outbreaks bring the nation’s total since December of 2020 to 332. Directly affected have been a total of more than 2.0 million poultry in 26 of the nation’s 37 administrative regions.
No further cases in Cameroon
Latest update from this West African state's veterinary authority to the OIE indicate no further cases of the disease since the initial outbreak. Cameroon had previously been free of avian flu for almost five years.
Cameroon was the most recent African country to report its first cases of HPAI. At a farm in the Ouest (West) region that borders Nigeria, there was heavy mortality in a laying flock in January.
HPAI spreads to new areas of Ghana, Niger
Over the past month, there have been 29 new HPAI outbreaks in poultry in Ghana, and three in Niger. This is according to the latest update from the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Latest events bring to 82 and five, respectively, the total outbreaks in these countries, respectively, since October of 2021. The virus responsible in these West African states is also the H5N1 serotype.
In Niger, first cases have been identified in the region of Tillibéri and Zinder, reports the FAO. Located in the southwest of the country, Tillibéri shares borders with the Niamey capital territory — where previous HPAI outbreaks were identified as recently as January — and also with Mali. Further to the east is Zinder, which borders northern Nigeria.
The same source records Ghana’s first HPAI cases in poultry in Brong Ahafo and Northern. Located in the west and north-east of the country, respectively, they bring to eight the number of Ghana’s regions where HPAI has been confirmed over the past six months.
Concerned about the HPAI situation in Ghana, the agriculture minister has recently announced penalties for anyone transporting poultry in country without valid certification. According to the minister, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, any poultry or products without a certificate will be destroyed, reported Ghana Web.
Furthermore, there will be no financial compensation for the destroyed items, or in case of future outbreaks, he said. In future, owners may only restock their premises with day-old chicks when their area is disease-free.
To help bring the disease under control, the minister is calling for all poultry owners to participate in the new biometric and certification scheme. This applies particularly to backyard flocks, he said, which represent a higher risk of spreading the virus than the commercial poultry sector.
In Ghana, outbreaks of HPAI have affected 203 farms so far, the minister said. This total comprises 167 premises between July and December of 2021, and 36 with outbreaks between 2015 and 2018.
New cases reported among Africa’s wild birds
In mid-February, the FAO issued an alert about the increasing number of HPAI cases detected in wild birds across Africa. The warning was issued to national veterinary officers, local FAO offices, and partner organizations.
In West Africa, large numbers of wild birds have died at a nature park in Senegal since late January. According to the official report to the OIE, almost 900 pelicans (Great White) have died at the park, which is a UNESCO heritage site. Most of the dead birds were juveniles.
South African authorities have registered with the OIE more wild birds testing positive for HPAI. Latest to be affected were 13 birds of various species, and found at diverse locations.
View our continuing coverage of the global avian influenza situation.
