Bird flu has not spread to people in SA
So far 60 workers exposed to infected birds have been tested, and not one of them has tested positive for the disease
There have been no confirmed cases of bird flu in humans in SA, the National Institutes of Communicable Diseases (NICD) said on Wednesday. Media reports that a learner in Centurion had been diagnosed with the disease were wrong, it said. Highly pathogenic avian flu A (H5N8) emerged in SA in June, and has so far been identified in five provinces: Western Cape, Mpumalanga, Gauteng and, in two outbreaks announced on Wednesday, in KwaZulu-Natal and the North West. The NICD said there had been 24 localised outbreaks — three in commercial ostriches, five in wild birds, three in pet birds, and three in backyard poultry, citing reports received by the World Organisation for Animal Health. The NICD it had been monitoring people who had been exposed to the virus on affected farms since the first outbreak was reported. So far 60 workers exposed to infected birds had been tested, and none had tested positive for the disease, it said. Poultry and poultry products on sale in retail outlets were s...
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