Zambia bans poultry imports

2006-03-20 12:30

Lusaka - Zambia has banned the movement of live birds within the country and stopped imports of poultry in a bid to keep out bird flu, which has already affected four African countries, says the agriculture ministry on Monday.

The ministry's director of veterinary services, Peter Mangani, said only day-old chicks and hatching eggs could be transported under the new regulations.

He said that all imports of live birds and poultry products had been banned.

Frozen poultry products would be allowed into Zambia if traders submitted veterinary health certificates from the countries of origin.

Mangani said: "The ban is with immediate effect, following the latest reports of avian influenza in Nigeria and the possibility of the disease spreading to other countries in Africa."

Four African countries - Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Egypt - had announced discoveries of the most virulent strain of H5N1 avian influenza.

In Egypt, tests were to be performed on a 30-year-old woman who was believed to have died from bird flu. She might be the first human fatality in Africa of H5N1, which had killed about 100 people, mostly in Asia, since 2003.

Agriculture and health experts from African countries and donor organisations were to meet in Gabon on Monday for three days of talks on drafting a continental response to bird flu.

- AFP