A farm near Villiers is being quarantined and some 28 000 birds are being culled after a highly pathogenic avian influenza of the H5N8 type – the first in South Africa – was found on the Vaal river property.
The Mpumalanga Veterinary Authority is on site assisting with quarantine implementation, culling and disinfection, the South African Poultry Association (Sapa) said in a statement on Friday.
Only one of the 12 self-contained sites on the property, which housed an aggregate 285 000 birds, had been affected, said the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF).
The single outbreak is the first to be found in South African poultry; however, there is a possibility that the disease is present in other wild water birds, especially ducks, in South Africa, which makes it difficult to control and contain to a particular area.
“The affected farm is on the banks of the Vaal river and it is suspected that wild birds may be involved. We have intensified our early detection and requested owners to enhance their biosecurity to prevent contact with wild birds,” the DAFF said.
While the strain is not considered a danger to humans, the chance of infection should not be excluded as a possibility, however unlikely, and appropriate precaution should be taken.
“At this stage, there is a very limited impact on chicken supply,” Sapa assured, noting that the birds affected account for a “very small percentage” of the total South African chicken flock.
This strain of the virus originated in Europe and had been infecting European poultry for more than a year, the association commented.
In May, it was isolated in Zimbabwe, where, AgriSA said, the virus-based respiratory disease had “wreaked havoc” in the poultry industry after hundreds of thousands of commercial birds had to be culled, as there was no known cure.
“The public are requested to report any sightings of high levels of large wild bird or backyard chicken mortalities,” Sapa requested.