Kenyan gov't reassures of proper preventive measures for bird flu

The Kenyan government have reassured that proper preventive measures have been put in place to tackle bird flu should there be an outbreak, local newspaper reported Monday.

Speaking on Sunday at the closing ceremony of a two-day exhibition by Kenyan poultry farmers, Kenyan Director of Veterinary Services Joseph Musaa said there was no cause for alarm as the government had put in place the necessary mechanisms to detect any indication of bird flu in Kenya and neighboring countries.

According to The People Daily's report, Musaa said Kenyans should eat chicken and eggs without any fear as no case of bird flu has been detected in the east African country to date.

He urged Kenyans to enjoy chicken and eggs over the Christmas season without any alarm. He urged poultry farmers to improve their product to attract customers both locally and abroad.

The bird flu which occurs mostly in birds was first isolated in birds in South Africa in 1961, although its viruses usually do not affect humans, several cases of human infection have been reported since 1997.

Since 1997, about 100 people have been affected with half of the number succumbing to the deadly bird virus.

Health experts say east African countries are at risk because birds that have already brought the deadly H5N1 strain to eastern Europe fly to the region and beyond to the escape the northern hemisphere winter.

The H5N1 virus has killed at least 68 people and caused the death and destruction of millions of birds in Asia since it reemerged in late 2003.

In October, Kenya banned poultry imports from affected nations in a move to curb the entry of the virus.

The WHO has urged Kenya to report any cases of bird deaths to public health officers in a bid to prevent further outbreak of the avian flu.

The United Nations agencies and the inter-governmental World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) have recommend a series of measures to fight the virus, including improved veterinary services, emergency preparedness plans, and control campaigns such as culling infected animals, vaccination and compensation for farmers to encourage them to report outbreaks.

Source: Xinhua