South Africa has over 50 confirmed cases of avian influenza

The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) reported that South Africa is dealing with a number of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5 and H7 outbreaks, with more than 50 cases reported in various regions of the nation.

The department has advised poultry farmers to contact the closest State Veterinarian as soon as they have any suspicions of the illness.
There have been 50 HPAI H7 outbreaks overall as of 21 September 2023, and 10 HPAI H5 outbreaks.

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With 37 confirmed cases, Gauteng province is the one most severely affected by HPAI H7.

There have been two confirmed cases in each of Mpumalanga, Limpopo, and North West, whereas there has only been one case reported in the Free State.

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TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES OF AVIAN INFLUENZA

A total of 1 254 532 chickens have been lost as a result of HPAI H5; 98 249 chicks have reportedly died and 1 156 283 chickens have reportedly been killed.

“The reported number of chickens that have died is 107 705, while the reported number of chickens that were culled is 1 318 521. Based on these reported figures, there has been a total loss of 1 426 226 chickens.

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“The Western Cape province is the hardest hit with regards to the HPAI H5 outbreak, having a total of seven reported outbreaks. The other 3 HPAI H5 outbreaks are within the KwaZulu-Natal province,” the department said in a statement.

WHAT DOES THE DEPARTMENT URGE THE INDUSTRY TO DO?

The department said it has 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 introduction.

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