Botswana imposes poultry products importation ban
Mompati Tlhankane | Monday October 30, 2023 06:00
Avian influenza or bird flu refers to the disease caused by infection with avian (bird) influenza (flu) Type A viruses. These viruses naturally spread among wild aquatic birds worldwide and can infect domestic poultry and other bird and animal species. Bird flu viruses do not normally infect humans. However, sporadic human infections with bird flu viruses have occurred. “The outbreaks have resulted in trade restrictions that impact the poultry sectors and downstream value chains. HPAI also threatens the extinction of sensitive wildlife species. South Africa is experiencing a particularly severe HPAI outbreak in which has overrun five of nine of the provinces, Western Cape, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West and Gauteng,” the Minister of Agriculture Fidelis Molao told the media this week. Molao also disclosed that over 7.5 million chickens have been culled in order to control the outbreak, which is a serious loss and has led to shortages in poultry products such as eggs. “The last outbreak of HPAI in Botswana was in 2021. It was limited to back-yard poultry in the Kgatleng (Bokaa) and Okavango/Ngamiland in a youth poultry project in Etsha. Some cases were detected in wild birds but these two were self-limiting,” he said. Molao also said the SADC protocol on Avian influenza is localised culling of flocks in case of outbreaks of HPAI. However, he indicated that this is subject to review in consideration of emerging epidemiological information. “The existing National HPAI response plan is being reviewed and it will include inter alia governance structures, stakeholders engagement, compensation arrangements, plan of implementation, SOPS and legal basis,” he said. The virus was found in populations of a scavenging bird called brown skua on Bird Island, which is part of the British overseas territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. These migratory birds probably brought it with them from South America where bird flu is widespread and has already killed an estimated 500,000 seabirds and 20,000 sea lions in Chile and Peru alone. The current outbreak of the highly infectious variant of H5N1, which started in 2021, is estimated to have killed millions of wild birds.
Senkobo disease and Topline dip
Meanwhile, Molao also indicated that since 2015, the Ministry of Agriculture has been assisting farmers in Ngamiland District to control the unprecedented infestation of ticks and Senkobo disease through use of various acaricides (dips). He admitted that the limiting factor for most of these acaricides is their short duration of action, and hence the need for repeated application which is tedious and labour intensive for farmers. “Mindful of these challenges, the ministry resorted to using oil-based pour-on dips with longer duration of action than the common water-based suspensions. However, these oil-based formulations are still limited as their duration of action is only two to three weeks. Consequently, the ministry has, with the assistance of Botswana Vaccine Institute (BVI), identified a new pour-on formulation that has a much longer duration of action of up to six weeks,” he announced. Molao said the dip called Topline, is produced by Boehringer Ingelheim who are the technical partners of BVI and is expected to be a game changer in the control of Senkobo in Ngamiland. He indicated that Topline is a broad-spectrum acaricide with long lasting efficacy against ticks for up to six weeks and lice and horn-flies for up to four weeks. “This means that the animals are protected for longer periods, which effectively reduces the chances of the animal contracting Senkobo disease. Due to the long withdrawal period (three months), this dip will be strictly controlled and its use will be limited to the control of Senkobo under supervision of the department of Veterinary Services,” he emphasised. Molao stated that prior to launching this dip, BVI facilitated training of the Ministry of Agriculture staff coming from across the length and breadth of Ngamiland on the use of the Topline product. He revealed that the officers now have a full understanding of how the dip should be applied and are expected to teach the farming community on its use. “Farmers will be advised to indicate which animals they intend to sell for slaughter so that alternative dips with shorter withdrawals are used for such animals. Farmers are legally obliged to observe withdrawal periods,” he concluded.