Fear of bird flu panics Zambians

The mysterious death of wild birds this week has panicked Zambians, fearing the arrival of avian influenza in a country long-recognised as vulnerable to the deadly H5N1 virus. Poultry Association of Zambia executive director Mathews Ngosa said a delay by the government in confirming whether Zambia had become the seventh African country to suffer an outbreak has "killed our industry as people are now avoiding eating chickens". Over 40 wild birds were found dead in Livingstone, southern Zambia, on Wednesday, a major nesting area for migratory birds. Some of the birds were eaten by villagers, but samples were collected and sent for testing in the capital, Lusaka. On Thursday state television broadcast footage of dead crows, with others gasping for breath, a few kilometres east of the capital. Chicken traders at the sprawling Soweto market in Lusaka said the news reports had seriously dented sales. "My chickens are now growing thin or falling sick and three of them actually died yesterday because of overstaying [in their cages]. I have not sold any since yesterday but in the past, I could sell over 20 every morning," Jennifer Mwale told IRIN on Friday. Ministry of Agriculture epidemiologist Christian Chisembele said preliminary investigations suggested the dead birds from Livingstone were H5N1 negative, but tests were continuing "until we are satisfied". World Health Organisation (WHO) country representative Stella Anyangwe appealed for calm while the tests were being conducted. She said there were some 120 viruses that killed wild birds, but only the H5N1 was of concern because of its ability to infect humans. "There is no need for people to panic just as yet because the birds could be dying from a different type of flu. We can only worry, especially over the people who have consumed the dead birds, if the disease suspected to be killing these birds is proved to be H5N1," said Anyangwe. The UN's Food Agriculture Organisation has sent some of the samples to South Africa for further examination and the results are expected to be in over the weekend. Migratory birds are believed to be the main carriers of the H5N1 virus. In recent months five African countries have confirmed the presence of the H5N1 virus in poultry, but so far an outbreak has not been detected in southern Africa. Bird flu has claimed over 50 lives since the beginning of this year, with 26 deaths recorded in Indonesia alone, according to WHO.