Namibia, has suspended imports of live poultry, birds and poultry products from South Africa with immediate effect. Millions of birds have been culled to curb the spread of the highly pathogenic avian influenza.
Izaak Breitenbach, the General Manager of the South African Poultry Association’s Broiler Organisation, says only 1-2-percent of poultry products are exported as most products are used locally. Earlier this month, the South African Poultry Association (SAPA) said the nation was contending with two different strains of the virus, the infamous H5N1 and a new strain identified as H7N6.
Producer Quantum Foods said last week that this year it had lost almost two million chickens – worth a total of more than R100 million – because of the disease. Bird flu does not typically infect humans. But H5N1 is increasingly infecting mammals worldwide, raising fears it could pass on more easily to people.
The virus has typically been confined to seasonal outbreaks, but since 2021 cases have emerged year-round, and across the globe, leading to what experts say is the largest outbreak ever seen. SAPA said the number of avian flu cases in South Africa this year was higher than in any year since the first outbreaks were reported in commercial farms in 2017.
Source: eNCA
In other news – Mpumelelo Mseleku opens up on polygamy at a young age
Mpumelelo Mseleku opens up about being a polygamist at a young age. The 22-year-old is the son of the famous polygamist, Musa Mseleku who has four wives.
The young man continues his father’s legacy as he has two girlfriends, Vuyokazi Nxiweni, who is expecting their second child, and Tirelo, who recently welcomed their first baby together. Read more
