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South Africa has culled about 7.5 million chickens in an effort to contain dozens of outbreaks of two separate strains of avian influenza that threaten to create a shortage of eggs and poultry for consumers
South Africa has culled about 7.5 million chickens in an effort to contain dozens of outbreaks of two separate strains of avian influenza that threaten to create a shortage of eggs and poultry for consumers.
At least 205,000 chickens have died from bird flu in at least 60 separate outbreaks across the country. More than half of those outbreaks are in Gauteng province. Both Johannesburg and the capital Pretoria belong to this region. Traders in Johannesburg were limiting the number of eggs customers were allowed to buy this week.
Approximately 2.5 million chickens bred for their meat had been culled and another 5 million egg-laying chickens had been culled. The 7.5 million birds represented about 20-30% of South Africa’s total chicken stock. There are efforts on the part of the South African government to fast-track new import permits for companies to bring in eggs from other countries to ensure sufficient supplies for consumers. Neighboring Namibia has banned chicken meat and egg imports from South Africa.
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The outbreaks are hitting an industry already struggling due to an electricity crisis. Electricity is needed for hatching the eggs in the incubators. Vaccines would need to be imported to prevent the spread of the flu. To implement complete vaccination across the country, it would take two to six months.
