Kenya issues alert as bird flu reported in South Sudan

Oct 17, 2006 (NAIROBI) — Kenyan authorities have issued an alert following a recent outbreak of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus in southern Sudan.

The ministry of health’s head of promotive services Nicholas Muraguri said teams of health workers and veterinarians are carrying out tests on people and poultry especially in Turkana and Lokichoggio districts bordering southern Sudan.

“Apart from a surveillance, Kenya has banned poultry and poultry products imports from Sudan and other affected countries as a preventive measure against the bird flu,” Muraguli told Xinhua by telephone on Tuesday.

Officials say Kenya and other east African countries are at risk because birds that have already brought the deadly H5N1 strain from eastern Europe are flying to the region and beyond to escape the northern hemisphere winter.

Sudan reported outbreaks of bird flu in Khartoum and Jazeera provinces in the north in April. Sudanese government officials said they had eradicated the virus. But health officials in southern Sudan said they received more complaints on Sept. 9 of death and sickness among domestic birds including duck but the test results for those cases were not yet ready.

Muraguli said Kenya has set up 11 centers in public hospitals where health workers are carrying out surveillance on patients suffering from flu-like illnesses.

“People should not touch, eat, sell or transport poultry or wild birds found dead. They should instead report such cases to the nearest veterinary or public health office,” said Muraguli.

He said all tests carried out showed that there was no bird fly virus in Kenya and urged people to continue eating poultry without fear. He said tests on 560 dead birds were negative.

Chicken is a staple source of protein across rural Africa. Concerns about the spread of avian flu center on watering spots that domestic poultry share with migrating waterfowl.

Kenya banned poultry imports from affected nations in October last year and said it had made arrangements with the World Health Organization for access to anti-viral drug Tamiflu in case of an avian flu outbreak.

(Xinhua)