Bird flu in South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is located at the southern tip of the continent, bordering Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Swaziland and surrounding the enclave of Lesotho. Immigration from Europe has made the country a very racially diverse nation, and differences have culminated in apartheid between 1948 and 1990. South Africa also enjoys large mineralogical wealth.
Tuesday, July 4th, 2006
A farm in the West of South Africa was discovered to have ostrich infected with a benign form of the bird flu virus. A similar outbreak in 2004 forced the authorities to order the culling of around 15,000 ostriches. The European Union blocked ostrich imports from the region until late last year, when it was declared the H5N2 avian flu virus - only dangerous for animals - was completely removed from the area. The Department of Agriculture says it hopes this occurrence will be contained rapidly and will not lead to other measures being taken by its trade partners, to whom it is carrying out negotiations at the moment. The department issued a press release saying South African ostrich and poultry is still safe for consumption.
Posted in South Africa
