You can catch bird flu from close contact with infected birds, their feaces and their products
By Hilary Bainemigisha
ALL poultry owners in Uganda are required to register their chickens, including indigenous breeds, with the parish chiefs. The measure is meant to prepare for a possible bird flu outbreak now that the disease has spread to South Sudan.
Bird flu, caused by the H5N1 influenza virus, first reported in Asia in 2003, has killed over 250 million birds and 201 people.
According to the agriculture ministry, the district veterinary officers have been instructed to preside over the registration exercise.
“All registration should be completed by December when the ministry plans to carry out a country-wide animal census,” said Dr. Chris Rutebareka, the assistant commissioner for disease control.
After the registration, farmers are required to keep updating the registers by reporting the birth of new chicks or alerting the registrars whenever a bird dies or has been slaughtered. The registers will be used as the basis for compensating farmers in case their stock needs to be destroyed in the event of an outbreak.
Rutebarika said compensation was aimed at encouraging farmers to report suspected cases as soon as possible so that there can be a rapid response.
“As soon as such a report reaches the district, testing can be done here in Uganda and it will not take more than two days to confirm an outbreak,” he said.
Uganda has not yet had any incidence of bird flu but it lies in the danger zone because of the migratory birds which pass through the country.
The proximity and increased traffic to and from South Sudan, where bird flu broke out in August 2006, also puts Uganda at high risk.
In case of an outbreak, the Government will cordon off the entire area where bird flu has been reported and destroy all the birds in the area, said Dr. Olaho Mkani, the director of animal resources.
“We shall not use vaccines because, as has been shown in other countries like Egypt, they are not effective,” he said. Only those who have registered their poultry and only those birds which have been registered will be compensated.
“We are asking Gombolola chiefs to update their animal registry. Parish chiefs will verify what has been declared and pass on the information to the sub-county chiefs,” Rutebarika said.
The ministry has come up with a draft compensation policy that spells out who should be compensated and how much. The draft was discussed by stakeholders in Jinja this week.
The stakeholders proposed a compensation rate of 70% of the average national market value of the birds killed. Poultry products, like eggs destroyed, will also be compensated.
However, some farmers questioned whether it was possible to register all backyard chickens in rural areas.
“There are seven hens in my homestead, each belonging to one of my children. Do I register all under my name as the head of the household or will each child have to register his or her chicken?” one farmer interviewed by Saturday Vision asked.
A woman was concerned that husbands would claim all the chickens and seize all the compensation money. Chickens are often acquired as gifts for children or for women projects in rural areas.
“I don’t think it is practical,” said another. “If my hen hatches 12 chicks and I report them to the parish chief, I will need to return whenever one chick dies or is swooped off by an eagle, which can be three times in a day! Don’t I have other work to do?”
But Rutebarika said livestock registration, including poultry, was not new in Uganda.
“It used to be done in the 1960s. We just have to revert to that system and iron out the problems as we go along,” he said.
Bird flu is a deadly disease which affects poultry and occasionally human beings. The disease, caused by the H5N1 avian influenza virus, is spread by close contact with infected birds.
IF BIRD FLU BREAKS OUT
Report any suspected case or mass bird deaths to local veterinary staff.
Avoid any contact with affected domestic or wild birds; their saliva, nasal secretion, blood or feaces.
Stop transportation of birds from one place to another.
Keep children away from birds, their feathers, feaces and other waste.
Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water after any contact.
Don’t slaughter or eat any bird that died under suspicious circumstances.
Quarantine, kill and properly dispose all infected birds.
Disinfect infected premises.
Farm workers should always put on protective gear like aprons and gloves.
Anyone who experiences flu-like symptoms should seek medical advice.
Eat only well cooked poultry products.
Seek immediate treatment if you get fever after contact with sick or dead poultry.
BIRD FLU FACTS Bird flu is caused by the H5N1 influenza virus, which spreads through close contact with infected birds.
The virus occurs naturally in wild birds. Although these birds do not fall sick, domestic poultry such as chickens and turkeys do — and so do people.
The virus has become common among birds in Asia, who shed it in their saliva, nasal secretions and feaces. More than 90% of birds, which get the virus, die.
The virus was first shown to have passed from birds to humans in 1997, during an outbreak of avian influenza among poultry in Hong Kong. The virus caused severe respiratory illness in 18 people, of whom six died.
New flu strains tend to emerge in Asia, Africa and the East, where people live in closer quarters with their animals, and different flu viruses may mix to cause new strains or pass between species.
In rural areas, free-ranging ducks and chickens often mingle and share the same water supplies. The virus may then be passed from one animal to another and possibly even to humans.
In the past couple of years the World Health Organisation has reported a stream of bird flu cases in Asia. As of October 2, 2007, 329 cases and 201 deaths were reported in 15 countries, four of which are in Africa.
More worryingly, recent research has shown that the virus has changed so that it is even more deadly in chickens and mice, and can now infect cats too.
It is also resistant to some of the drugs used to treat flu, such as amantadine.
Millions of chickens and ducks have been slaughtered across South East Asia in an effort to prevent the virus spreading from birds to humans. Work is also under way to create an effective vaccine but it will take time.
The first suspected case of human-to-human transmission was reported in Indonesia last month.
If this is confirmed, the situation will be even more serious as most people have little immunity to the strain and there will be rapid spread.
