South Africa is dealing with a number of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5 and H7 outbreaks, with more than 50 cases confirmed in the country, according to the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development.
The department has urged poultry farmers to immediately report any suspicion of the disease to the nearest State Veterinarian. A total of 50 HPAI H7 outbreaks and 10 HPAI H5 outbreaks had been reported by 21 September.
Gauteng province is the hardest hit by HPAI H7, with 37 confirmed cases. Mpumalanga, Limpopo and North West have confirmed two cases each, while the Free State has recorded one case.
“The reported number of chickens that have died (of HPAI H7) is 107 705, while the reported number of chickens culled is 1 318 521. Based on these reported figures, there has been a total loss of 1 426 226 chickens,” the department said in a statement on Tuesday.
The Western Cape province has been hardest hit with regard to the HPAI H5, with a total of seven reported outbreaks, while the other three HPAI H5 outbreaks occurred in KwaZulu Natal.
A total of 98 249 chickens have died of HPAI H5, and 1 156 283 have been culled, equating to a total loss of 1 254 532 chickens.
The department said it had noted an increasing number of newly detected H7 and H5 PCR-positive farms, and urged the industry to ensure biosecurity on poultry farms to reduce the risk of an outbreak. It said it had facilitated the import of fertile eggs for the broiler industry and a similar request for table eggs would be considered if received.
It is also facilitating the transit of fertile eggs to Eswatini for its broiler production.
The department said it had met with vaccine registration regulators who had agreed that vaccination registration would be fast tracked without compromising safety, efficacy and quality.
Due to the high probability of the avian influenza virus mutating and becoming zoonotic, the department warned that care needed to be taken on the quality and efficacy parameters of the chosen vaccine.
“The criteria under which vaccination will be permitted is almost in its final development, and only farms with good biosecurity and approved to vaccinate by the department will be given permission to vaccinate. The other requirements for vaccination will be surveillance to enable early detection of incursion and mandatory slaughter of vaccinated chickens,” the department said.
