Bird hunters to combat bird flu
2006-03-28 13:34
Pretoria - Bird hunters will form part of a South African early warning system for the H5N1 strain of avian flu, the SA Wingshooters said on Tuesday.
A national network of wingshooters would act as voluntary field officers to collect samples of gamebirds and wild waterbirds for analysis.
"The earlier the arrival in South Africa of the dangerous Asian strain of H5N1 virus is detected, the earlier proper control measures can be taken to limit public exposure and to protect the poultry industry through vaccination and other control measures," said Raoul van der Westhuizen, the chairperson of SA Wingshooters.
"As members of South Africa's only national wingshooting association, we hunt gamebirds and waterfowl which are the first point of contact with migrating wild birds such as terns and waders," he said.
Several volunteers would receive special instruction and training on collecting virology samples, avoiding exposure and safely dispatching the samples in co-operation with a courier.
The samples would be sent to the Onderstepoort Veterinary Research Institute in Pretoria.
Included would be the GPS co-ordinates of the samples, information on the types of birds tested, and the times tests were done.
"In view of our activity of waterfowling, SA Wingshooters is in a unique position to collect data on Asian H5N1 earlier than anyone else," Van der Westhuizen said.
- SAPA