Over the past two weeks, South Africa’s animal health agency has officially registered eight further outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in domestic poultry.
Of these, seven involved the H7N6 virus serotype, according to the latest notifications to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). This variant was detected between mid-September and mid-October at four premises in Gauteng province, two in the Northwest, and one in Western Cape. This latter outbreak was the first in this province since the H7N6 variant was first detected in the country in May of 2023.
These latest bring the total outbreaks in this series so far to 94. Directly impacted have been more than 8.3 million poultry.
At the same time, South Africa has been battling a second virus serotype — H5N1 — in both wild birds and poultry.
Since this disease series began in April of this year, the number of outbreaks has reached 14. Affected so far have been almost 1.76 million domestic birds.
Of these, nine have been located in Western Cape, as was the latest outbreak to have been notified to WOAH, and it began on August 7.
According to BusinessLive, the current HPAI epidemic in South Africa is the worst yet, as consumers face supermarket shelves empty of eggs.
More than 20% of the nation’s laying hens have died or been culled due to the disease over the past few weeks, reports BusinessTech.
To meet demand, there have been calls for the South African government to address the crisis amid retail price hikes.
The South African Poultry Association has warned of a growing crisis ahead, as it reports that 2.5 million or 30% of the nation’s broiler breeder flock have been hit by HPAI. The industry has arranged for imports of 50 million hatching eggs, but this will not solve the current shortages.
Avian flu developments elsewhere in Africa
In North Africa, Algeria’s veterinary agency has declared to WOAH that the HPAI situation in poultry has been “resolved.”
Involving the H5N1 virus serotype, the declaration followed four confirmed outbreaks that started between September and December of 2022. Affected were a total of 54,400 poultry on farms each with between 1,000 and 37,500 birds. They were all located in different administrative divisions, over a distance of around 200km.
Latest notification to WOAH indicates there have been no further HPAI outbreaks in Nigeria.
Previous reports outline a total of 453 outbreaks linked to the H5N1 HPAI virus variant since December of 2020. Poultry have tested positive for this variant in 31 of the West African state’s 37 administrative areas. Presence of the virus has been confirmed at 137 farms so far this year. The most recent outbreak reported to WOAH began in late August.
At the end of September, an HPAI virus of the H7 family has been detected in the Republic of Mozambique for the first time. Affecting a commercial egg farm, this was the first outbreak linked to this virus serotype in East Africa.
View our continuing coverage of the global avian influenza situation.
Other recent developments in African poultry markets
With simultaneous HPAI outbreaks in its own poultry and main import source of South Africa, Mozambique is turning to Brazil and Turkey to meet domestic demand for poultry meat, reports Chinese news agency Xinhua. Authorities have authorized a volume of around 4,500 metric tons (mt) from the two sources in the coming weeks. Hatching eggs may also be imported from these countries to support poultry producers in Mozambique.
In Ghana, the agriculture ministry has ambitious plans to increase domestic poultry production. Self-sufficiency is forecast to rise from 5% to 7% by the end of this year, according to the minister.
As well as 4.5 million chicks, the country’s farmers have also received vaccines and feed from the government, reports GhanaWeb.
The minister said the move would boost production by 13,200mt by the end of the year. With continued support, the target is for Ghana to become self-sufficient in chicken meat by 2028. The program is targeted particularly at young people starting on a career in farming.
For Nigeria’s poultry sector, the future looks bleak, reports Punch.
According to the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), the latest development adverse to the sector is the recent lifting of restrictions on foreign exchange for the importation of frozen chicken.
Previously, the News Agency of Nigeria reported PAN’s comments that the poultry industry was making growing losses as a result of the removal of fuel subsidies, and restrictions on imports of corn and soybeans for feed. In the Federal Capital Territory alone, PAN reports that 127 poultry farms have gone out of business.
First Chinese poultry breeders in Tanzania
One month ago, Xinhua reported that breeding poultry had been exported from China to Tanzania for the first time.
Technicians from the breeding organization Beijing Huadu Poultry Industry Co. continue to monitor the health of the birds. Over 15,000 layers and 1,000 white-feathered broiler breeders were sent to the East African state in June of this year.
