Dead birds tested for bird flu

Ethiopian authorities have launched an investigation into the recent deaths of nonmigratory birds to rule out the possibility of an avian flu outbreak in the Horn of Africa nation. Dead birds from the Somali region in eastern Ethiopia and the capital city of Addis Ababa have undergone initial tests, but further analysis is needed, officials said on Friday. "Before we can rule out avian flu we have to complete our investigations," said Dr Seleshi Zewdie, the head of the animal health department at the agriculture ministry. Scientists had carried out preliminary tests on eight birds from three different locations. Zewdie said that additional results are expected later next week, but Ethiopia needs proper testing kits before a final determination can be made. The birds are being tested for the virulent H5N1 strain of bird flu, which has devastated Asia's poultry flocks and killed at least 62 people since 2003. The dead birds - all nonmigratory local pigeons - were discovered around drinking wells in Somali region in eastern Ethiopia and at two separate locations in Addis Ababa. Authorities in Somali Region estimated that around 500 dead birds were found at wells and water points in the Deger Bur area. Some 10 to 15 birds were discovered at each site. Zewdie said the reports of the dead birds - all received in the last two weeks - showed that the early-warning system set up by the government was working. He thought the dead birds would not have contracted avian flu because they were local pigeons rather than migratory birds. "All dead birds should be tested," he said. "It is difficult to rule out avian influenza until we have completed the tests, but it is not likely." Experts believe that the Rift Valley countries of Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are at high risk for avian flu outbreaks because millions of migratory birds fly south to warmer climes during the European winter. "[Bird] arrivals peak in December," said George Amutete, a senior research scientist in the ornithology department of the National Museums of Kenya. A government-led taskforce in Ethiopia estimated that some US $53 million would be needed to fight a possible pandemic of the H5N1 virus of avian flu that affects humans. Meanwhile, state media announced late on Thursday that Ethiopia would extend its 26 October ban on the import of all poultry products indefinitely. The UN has also established its own crisis management team in Ethiopia for avian flu and is in the process of finalising a contingency plan to deal with a potential outbreak.