Minister Senzeni Zokwana will address the media in Pretoria this morning after the department earlier this week confirmed the highly contagious pathogenic influenza, also known as Bird Flu, has spread to another farm at Standerton in Mpumalanga. 

The farm has been quarantined and there is a complete halt in the movement of poultry and poultry products. Birds at the infected Mpumalanga site have been euthanised humanely. The department’s Bomikazi Molapo earlier said about 24 000 infected birds were put down on another farm in the Free State recently.

A 30km control zone has also been established on the affected farms in both provinces to identify other potentially affected properties. All other provinces are on high alert and a general ban is in place on the sale of live spent hens across the country.

State Vets are conducting inspections starting with all the farms within a 3km and a further 27 km radius around the affected farms to gather information on the health status of the birds.

Poultry and poultry products may only move from these farms if a State Veterinary Permit is issued, said the department.

Forward and backwards tracing to trace the movement of all poultry in and around the Mpumalanga farm in order to establish the source of the influenza is conducted by the department.

Exports of processed poultry products, live chickens, and fresh products from registered poultry compartments will continue, depending on the requirements of the importing countries.

Meat from healthy poultry is safe for consumption as it is subjected to strict meat inspection processes at abattoirs. People are urged to avoid consumption of birds found dead, birds that are dying or that are sick.

No effective treatment for the disease has been found yet.

OFM News