Second case of bird flu confirmed in Mpumalanga

A second case of Avian Influenza has been confirmed in Mpumalanga.

The Department of Agriculture‚ Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) said on Monday evening that a new case of the highly contagious bird flu had been confirmed at a layer farm in Val in Standerton.

It said the virus was the same strain as the initial case reported on a poultry breeder farm near Villiers last Thursday but that the two farms were not linked‚ meaning that the latest case was a separate introduction.

“The farm has been placed under quarantine and over 25‚000 of the infected birds will be culled. Eggs are not allowed to move out of the farm‚” the department said.

It added that the ban on the sale of live poultry was still in place‚ to enable the department to assess the extent of the outbreak.

“We will observe this ban for a period of 14 days and will reassess the situation. It takes approximately four days for the infected bird to show clinical signs of the disease. We have put this measure in place to prevent further unintended spread of the Influenza.

“We are pleading with commercial and backyard farmers to report any cases of large numbers of birds dying to the nearest state vets so the department can send veterinary officials for follow up investigations and collection of samples for confirmation‚” the department said.