UN warns of bird flu threat to Africa

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is recommending that African countries go on high alert over the threat of bird flu after dozens of outbreaks of the virus have been reported in wild birds across Europe.

The disease quickly spread among the population of wild birds in Western Europe. The UK, France, Germany and the Netherlands have reported 70 cases of the virus. Commercial farms have also been hit by bird flu outbreaks.

Since wild birds carry the virus and will soon begin migrating across Africa, the risk of infection increases.

"FAO recommends that countries in Africa be on the lookout for the spread of highly pathogenic H5 avian influenza (HPAI). Countries and farms should put in place improved prevention, detection, early detection and outbreak response measures. In addition, it is likely that the virus has already entered parts of Western and North Africa, but has not yet been discovered," the organization said in a statement.

The FAO recommends that African countries step up their disease surveillance efforts in wild birds and limit contact between wild flocks and poultry. The organization calls for more attention to be paid to shared drinking water sources. Previous outbreaks of avian influenza in 2017 threatened the food security of millions of people in Africa.