By: Lina Amutenya
The agriculture, water and land reform ministry has lifted control measures that were put in place to control Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) that was detected in the Erongo region on 5 August.
The last HPAI case was reported on 18 March 2022. The ministry considered the outbreak to have been successfully controlled, hence lifting all restrictive measures effective 2 August 2022.
Over 1,000 deaths of birds, mainly the Cape cormorants, were reported dead. This was discovered on 13 January 2022 at Sea Bird Island in Walvis Bay, and Central Veterinary Laboratory confirmed High Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1) strain on 25 January 2022.
Avian Influenza flu was confirmed only in the wild birds, mainly the Cape cormorant living within the coastal line of Swakopmund and Walvis Bay.
The ministry’s chief veterinary officer, Dr Albertina Shilongo, said that the purpose of controlling the High Pathogenic Avian Influenzas was to restrict the disease from spreading to other towns.
“Control measures were put in place with immediate effect by the ministry to control the outbreak, which restricted the movement of all live domestic and wild birds from, in and out of the coastal areas of Erongo region and suspension of Guano harvesting and Guano movement from Erongo region,” she said.
The ministry has, however, warned poultry farmers that despite lifting restrictive measures, they should continue to apply biosecurity measures, and safety measures should be practised during Guano harvesting and handling.
In April this year, the agriculture ministry also banned all the imports of live birds or raw poultry products from the United States when the High Pathogenic Avian Influenzas broke out there.
The ministry’s spokesperson Jona Musheko told The Villager that the ministry is still not allowing importation from the United States because there have not been any received reports that officially state that the outbreak is under control on their side.
“However, the ministry is allowing imports to transit through Namibian ports to other parts of Africa but not be traded in the Namibian markets. This is done under strict measures of which, upon arrival of the cargos, a proper inspection will take place; all cargos are to be sealed and sent off to their respective countries,” said Musheko.
He further called on all farmers to report cases of animal disease to the offices of the agriculture ministry in their respective towns.
High Pathogenic Avian influenzas virus is reported mainly in birds, is highly contagious among birds and can be deadly, especially in domestic poultry.
