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The Western Cape government has reported the first case of the high pathogenic H7 avian influenza in the Western Cape with a poultry farm in the George area now under quarantine.
Agriculture MEC, Dr Ivan Meyer, said in a statement on Friday that " it was very unfortunate and a blow to the Western Cape poultry industry".
He said the outbreak followed the introduction of chickens from an infected province in the north, adding that the culling of the birds had already started.
Meyer urged Western Cape poultry owners to heighten biosecurity measures as far as possible and be extremely cautious about bringing in any new chickens or allowing visitors or vehicles onto poultry farms.
"Moving chickens from infected provinces should be avoided at all costs as this has a severe impact on the entire Western Cape province if more cases of H7 HPAI are detected."
He warned that the H5N1 HPAI virus that caused seven outbreaks in the Western Cape from April to June 2023, is still a threat from wild birds.
"In the past three months, the Western Cape hasn't experienced any further outbreaks in the commercial poultry industry. All the outbreaks reported in the period between April and June have been resolved," he said.
State veterinarian and director of Animal Health, Dr Noluvuyo Magadla, appealed to poultry owners to adhere to the following general recommendations to prevent transmission of the disease between farms.
