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Uganda: Government Takes Action On Bird Flu
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New Vision (Kampala)
26 October 2007
Posted to the web 28 October 2007
Hilary Bainemigisha
Kampala
ALL poultry owners in Uganda are required to register their chickens, including indigenous breeds, with the parish chiefs. The measure is meant to prepare for a possible bird flu outbreak now that the disease has spread to South Sudan.
Bird flu, caused by the H5N1 influenza virus, first reported in Asia in 2003, has killed over 250 million birds and 201 people.
According to the agriculture ministry, the district veterinary officers have been instructed to preside over the registration exercise.
"All registration should be completed by December when the ministry plans to carry out a country-wide animal census," said Dr. Chris Rutebareka, the assistant commissioner for disease control.
After the registration, farmers are required to keep updating the registers by reporting the birth of new chicks or alerting the registrars whenever a bird dies or has been slaughtered. The registers will be used as the basis for compensating farmers in case their stock needs to be destroyed in the event of an outbreak.
Rutebarika said compensation was aimed at encouraging farmers to report suspected cases as soon as possible so that there can be a rapid response.
"As soon as such a report reaches the district, testing can be done here in Uganda and it will not take more than two days to confirm an outbreak," he said.
Uganda has not yet had any incidence of bird flu but it lies in the danger zone because of the migratory birds which pass through the country.
The proximity and increased traffic to and from South Sudan, where bird flu broke out in August 2006, also puts Uganda at high risk.
In case of an outbreak, the Government will cordon off the entire area where bird flu has been reported and destroy all the birds in the area, said Dr. Olaho Mkani, the director of animal resources.
"We shall not use vaccines because, as has been shown in other countries like Egypt, they are not effective," he said. Only those who have registered their poultry and only those birds which have been registered will be compensated.
"We are asking Gombolola chiefs to update their animal registry. Parish chiefs will verify what has been declared and pass on the information to the sub-county chiefs," Rutebarika said.
The ministry has come up with a draft compensation policy that spells out who should be compensated and how much. The draft was discussed by stakeholders in Jinja this week.
The stakeholders proposed a compensation rate of 70% of the average national market value of the birds killed. Poultry products, like eggs destroyed, will also be compensated.
However, some farmers questioned whether it was possible to register all backyard chickens in rural areas.
"There are seven hens in my homestead, each belonging to one of my children. Do I register all under my name as the head of the household or will each child have to register his or her chicken?" one farmer interviewed by Saturday Vision asked.
A woman was concerned that husbands would claim all the chickens and seize all the compensation money. Chickens are often acquired as gifts for children or for women projects in rural areas.
"I don't think it is practical," said another. "If my hen hatches 12 chicks and I report them to the parish chief, I will need to return whenever one chick dies or is swooped off by an eagle, which can be three times in a day! Don't I have other work to do?"
But Rutebarika said livestock registration, including poultry, was not new in Uganda.
"It used to be done in the 1960s. We just have to revert to that system and iron out the problems as we go along," he said.
Bird flu is a deadly disease which affects poultry and occasionally human beings. The disease, caused by the H5N1 avian influenza virus, is spread by close contact with infected birds.
IF BIRD FLU BREAKS OUT
Report any suspected case or mass bird deaths to local veterinary staff.
Avoid any contact with affected domestic or wild birds; their saliva, nasal secretion, blood or feaces.
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Stop transportation of birds from one place to another.
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