11 Apr 2013

The outbreak of bird flu in South Africa is not a serious threat to Botswana because the Department of Veterinary Services has imposed some import restrictions from the Cape area.

Deputy director (veterinary services), Dr Letlhugile Oarabile said in an interview that restrictions included the movement of big birds and any poultry products from the affected South African area.

However, he said the ministry would liaise with the South African authorities to get confirmation on the situation before putting up other measures to contain the spread of the disease into the country.

South Africa’s ministry of agriculture announced on April 9 that tests samples from an ostrich farm near Oudtshoorn, the centre of South Africa's ostrich export industry, found the presence of the H7N1 virus, which caused a type of bird flu.

Bird flu is caused by many types of virus but the H7N1 virus does not pose a serious threat to human life. South African authorities also said it was unlikely that the outbreak might pose a threat to humans.

The outbreak followed another strain, H7N9 that reportedly killed eight people in eastern China since it was confirmed in humans for the first time last month. ENDS