APA-Pretoria (South Africa) The South African government has instituted adequate measures to contain the outbreak of different strains of avian flu that has hit the country in recent weeks, a cabinet minister said on Thursday.
Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni called on farmers to observe prescribed biosecurity measures to contain outbreaks of the highly pathogenic HPAI H5 and HPAI H7 avian flu viruses that have been reported in parts of the country.
“Control measures to manage the spread of the outbreaks are in place — and farmers are encouraged to observe prescribed biosecurity measures,” Ntshavheni said during a post-cabinet media briefing late Thursday.
The HPAI H5 outbreak has been reported in Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces, while HPAI H7 has been reported in Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West regions, she said.
As of 21 September, a total of 50 HPAI H7 outbreaks and 10 HPAI H5 outbreaks had been reported in the country, according to the ministry of agriculture.
The minister admitted that the outbreaks posed food security risks, and trade measures in the form of imports to manage availability of fertile eggs, table eggs and poultry meat would be implemented.
Ntshavheni said the Ministry of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, South African Health Products Regulatory Authority and the industry were exploring applications for the registration of possible vaccines, with compliance measures related to safety, efficacy and quality being paramount for registration of such vaccines.
NM/jn/APA