According to a report from News24 in South Africa on September 23, the country is facing the worst avian influenza outbreak since the beginning of the year.
South Africa is facing two high-pathogenic avian influenza virus strains.
A statement from Quantum Foods on September 22 indicated that the company has lost nearly 2 million chickens due to the outbreak. Previously, another major producer, Astral Foods, noted on September 21 that: “The avian influenza outbreak is the worst that South Africa has ever witnessed” and “has caused a shortage of food-grade eggs in the market, and it is expected that the supply of poultry meat in the value chain may be negatively affected in the coming months.” The disease is spreading in the northeastern regions of Mpumalanga and Gauteng “at an alarming rate.”
Earlier, the South African Poultry Association (SAPA) confirmed on September 12 that the shortage of chickens and eggs due to avian influenza could last until the end of October. SAPA also stated that South Africa is facing two different strains of high-pathogenic avian influenza: H5N1 and a newly identified strain H7N6, after the country detected the first cases of avian influenza in commercial farms back in April.
This year, according to the Association, the number of avian influenza cases in South Africa has surpassed any year since the first outbreak was reported in commercial farms in 2017.
