Bird flu breaks out in Uganda

Kampala, Jan 15 (IANS) Birdflu has broken out in the central part of Uganda, a senior ministry of agriculture official said.

Connie Acayo, the spokesperson of the ministry, told Xinhua news agency by telephone on Saturday that confirmatory test of dead birds on Lutembe beach on the shores of Lake Victoria and in Masaka district showed that the disease had broken out.

The spokesperson added that government is going to issue precautionary measures to prevent the disease from spreading further.

Uganda is among the countries in sub-Saharan Africa that face a high risk of a bird flu outbreak because it is crisscrossed by several routes for migratory birds, which are carriers of the virus.

Birdflu or avian influenza is an infectious disease of birds caused by type A strains of the influenza virus, according to World Health Organisation.

According to the global health body, avian influenza viruses do not normally infect humans but there have been instances of certain highly pathogenic strains causing severe respiratory disease in humans.