Avian flu outbreaks ravage South Africa’s poultry industry triggering regional concerns

06 Nov 2023 --- Several outbreaks of pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) have been officially recorded over the last month in South Africa, according to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), bringing the total to 94 incidents in the recent series of infections. 

This wave has directly impacted over 8.3 million domestic birds, marking a juncture for the nation’s poultry industry.

Concurrently, the nation has been contending with a secondary viral serotype — H5N1 — found in both wild and domestic birds, exacerbating the situation. 

Neighboring Mozambique, also struggling with HPAI outbreaks and heavily reliant on South African poultry imports, is now seeking alternative poultry from Brazil and Turkey to fulfill its domestic demand.

Tanzania, another country in the region, imported high-yield laying hens and white-feather broiler breeder chickens from China for the first time last month. 

Global outbreaks of avian flu
Avian flu, which tends to strike during the autumn and winter, has posed challenges across the globe in recent months. But since 2021, cases have emerged year-round and worldwide, leading to what experts say is the largest outbreak ever seen.

Taiwan has also reported outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza this fall, impacting both poultry and native chickens. The island has already recorded 59 outbreaks linked to this virus variant, affecting nearly 1.17 million poultry.

South Korea and Russia’s Far East have experienced further cases among wild animals.Suggestions have been made that the industrial poultry farming sector needs to be restructured to prevent the spread of bird flu.

In Poland, the largest poultry producer in the EU, an outbreak of the highly contagious H5N1 bird flu virus was reported in the northern region last month, adding to the global concerns surrounding bird flu’s impact on the poultry industry and food security.

Last week, in North Alabama, US, nearly 48,000 chickens were culled due to the presence of highly pathogenic avian flu. According to the US Department of Agriculture, up to 50 million birds died from bird flu in the previous year, causing economic damage to farmers and food manufacturers.

Confronting this situation, the UN and WOAH advise countries to enhance farm biosecurity, maintain hygiene, adhere to quarantine procedures, and, if needed, carry out culling operations.

Science and research efforts
In the past two years, over seven million chickens, ducks and turkeys have been culled due to the spread of bird flu, with concerns raised about the virus potentially becoming endemic.

As avian flu continues to assert its presence across the globe, the conversation turns toward scientific research.

In European countries, chickens are currently undergoing trials for vaccination against bird flu using commercial vaccines. The importance of these trials has been acknowledged, but some experts suggest expediting the process due to concerns about the persistent threat of bird flu to poultry farms.

Scientists are also trying to leverage gene-editing technologies to engineer chickens with inherent resistance to avian influenza. The method aims to alleviate animal suffering and prevent the mass culling of male chickens. 

By Sichong Wang