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Tanzania: Zanzibar destroys Poultry Eggs to prevent bird flu
Wed. October 25, 2006 01:43 pm. -
Bonny Apunyu
(SomaliNet) In a bid to keep the Island free from the deadly avian flu, Zanzibar officials have destroyed another consignment of chicken eggs smuggled from mainland Tanzania, -IRIN Reported Wednesday.
"We seized the egg consignment of about 11 boxes imported from the Tanzanian mainland commercial capital of Dar es Salaam," said Kassim Gharib, the head of a task force formed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Natural Resources and Environment.
The task force was established to ensure that bird flu does not spread to Zanzibar, two semi-autonomous islands that form part of the Republic of Tanzania.
According to the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO), the H5N1 avian influenza virus can be found inside eggs, and on the surface of eggs laid by infected birds.
However, who says that no epidemiological evidence to suggest that people have been infected with avian influenza through eating eggs or egg products. Thorough cooking of eggs can inactivate the virus.
In August, Zanzibar's authorities destroyed 61,000 chicken eggs in a bid to check the threat of bird flu, but because of high demand during the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holidays this week, and the current high season for tourism in the islands, the price of eggs in Zanzibar has doubled.
Bird flu has already caused several deaths among both humans and poultry in several African countries.
The poultry industry in Asia and in a few European countries has been affected by the disease, which has claimed dozens of human lives, mostly in Asia.
News Category: East Africa
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