Malawi in bird flu scare
Malawi faces a bird flu scare following reports of the outbreak in some parts of Africa, notably Cameroon, Egypt and Uganda where thousands of wild birds and domesticated poultry have been killed, authorities have warned.
In a joint statement, Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development Principal Secretary Erica Maganga and Ministry of Health chief of health services Charles Mwansambo said as a precautionary measure, government is reactivating its key activities, including reviewing and operationalising the national preparedness/response framework which was prepared in 2009.
The statement said the existing preparedness framework sets out the requirements for early detection and response, including communication in the event of an introduction of the disease into Malawi.
Reads the statement in part: “The national technical committee on avian influenza recently convened an emergency meeting of stakeholders from the key sectors, namely livestock, health, wildlife and information.
“Cognisant of the increased threat and potential risk factors such as geographical proximity of Uganda to Malawi, border porosity, and movement of animals and animal products, government is closely monitoring the developments of this deadly disease reports on the global situation with respect to the disease trend and the status in other countries within the region.”
Bird flu, also known as avian influenza, is a viral disease of poultry which has spread through many countries of the world in recent years causing massive losses in the poultry industry.
Several subtypes of avian influenza viruses can occasionally infect humans causing sickness and death.
In December 2005, thousands of migratory birds dropped dead in the Central Region district of Ntchisi, raising fear of the bird flu outbreak in the country.
Blood and tissue samples of the birds were sent to a laboratory in South Africa, the only country in the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) region then with laboratories to detect bird flu.
