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SA 'ready for bird flu'
03/11/2005 14:49 - (SA)
Cape Town - South African authorities are ready for any eventuality in respect of the bird flu scare around the globe, Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said on Thursday.
Briefing the media at Parliament, she said South Africa was recognised as one of the countries currently free of avian flu, despite the latest developments in south-east Asia and Europe.
"However, we remain very cautious, and this we have demonstrated by our heightened surveillance systems and strict importation requirements for early detection and effective response, should there be an outbreak," she said.
South Africa was also working closely with the World Health Organisation and sharing experiences with health ministers in Canada and other countries.
"We are on top of it and watching developments very closely. We are also working very closely with the department of agriculture."
The health department had been planning for a very long time, together with various institutions, for any emergency.
"So, we have a plan in place. But, this does not warrant any panic in the country, it is just that we are preparing ourselves so that should anything occur in the country we'll be ready," Tshabalala-Msimang said.
The deadly H5N1 avian flu strain has reportedly killed more than 60 people in Asia since late 2003.
According to reports, experts fear a disaster similar to the "Spanish flu" outbreak which killed millions of people in 1918 if it becomes readily contagious through human-to-human contact.
- SAPA
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