Cape Town - The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development has confirmed that a total of five Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) or bird flu cases have been detected at commercial chicken farms in the Western Cape.
The department, on Tuesday, said that all affected farms were immediately placed under quarantine.
Department spokesperson Reggie Ngcobo said that no live animals and/ or birds and eggs are allowed to be removed from the farms, adding that commercial poultry meat and eggs are safe to eat.
“Care should, however, be taken when preparing food to avoid other food-borne pathogens.
“Generally, the first sign of sick animals, including birds, is drop in production, meaning that sick birds will produce very few (if any) eggs. This, together with the added mitigation of placing farms under quarantine, means no eggs from infected properties will make their way to shelves.
“We strongly encourage all poultry farmers, including those with birds kept as a hobby or for zoo purposes, to adhere to strict biosecurity measures to prevent the introduction of HPAI. We also urge farmers and individuals to report any suspected outbreak to any private or state veterinarian,” he said.
Last month, the provincial veterinary services issued a warning for the public and the agriculture sectors to be vigilant after bird flu cases were detected at commercial layer farms in the Paardeberg area, the Drakenstein and Swartland local municipalities.
At the time, Agriculture MEC Ivan Meyer said that the first outbreak was confirmed on April 21 and the second on April 25.
Cape Times