Uganda

Andrew G. Seguya‏@Andrewseguya Follow More Ministry of Agriculture reports that strain H5N8 identified in Uganda is mild with little effect in humans

Health officials monitoring two patients after presenting birdflu signs By Charles Kizindo Lule Twenty patients in Bussi and Butembe islands on Lake Victoria are being monitored by health specialists after presenting symptoms of the deadly bird flu. The ministry of health has picked samples from them and taken to Uganda Virus Research Institute in Entebbe for further investigations. Bird flu was confirmed in Uganda this week following a mass death of birds at Lutembe beach in Entebbe, and ducks in Masaka. http://capitalradio.co.ug/health-officials-monitoring-two-patients-presenting-birdflu-signs/

Published on Jan 22, 2017 Residents of Kalangala landing sites are in panic following an outcry by one parent that her child could have contracted bird flu. Florence Nantume who admits to have ordered her children to slaughter one of their ducks that appeared sickly for a meal. Thereafter the children developed symptoms among them nodding their heads vigorously. https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&a=&v=EehrT6VpZAk&app=desktop

The Ministry of Agriculture also clarified on type of Avian Influenza virus detected in the tested samples, disputing reports of H5NI virus type as reflected by Ministry of Health’s Monday press statement. Dr Nantima said no compositions of the highly pathogenic ‘N’ elements were found in the samples tested so far. She said by implication, the ‘N’ element means the virus has potential to attack humans, a condition that has not been approved yet. The Ministry is waiting for results from samples sent to Italian laboratories to test for the N elements, expected next week. http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Shs12-billion-needed-contain-deadly-bird-flu/688334-3…

There are still continuous deaths of wild ducks and birds along the shores and islands of Lake Victoria in Masaka and Wakiso districts. In Masaka alone, wild and domestic birds are dying at alarming numbers and in Lutembe wetland white-winged terns are the ones dying. This is already a big threat to over thirty million domestic poultry in Uganda which calls for an urgent response to control the spread of the disease from wild birds to domestic birds. http://www.oie.int/wahis_2/temp/reports/en_imm_0000022378_20170116_184824.pdf

Name of sender of the report Dr Nicholas Kauta Telephone (256-414) 320 627 Position Director Animal Resources Fax (256- 414) 321 255 Address P.O. Box 513 Entebbe Entebbe Email [email protected] Date submitted to OIE 16/01/2017 Animal type Terrestrial Date of report 15/01/2017 Disease Highly pathogenic avian influenza Date of start of the event 02/01/2017 Causal Agent Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus Date of confirmation of the event 14/01/2017 Serotype(s) H5 Diagnosis Laboratory (advanced) Reason First occurrence of a listed disease in the country Clinical signs Yes Country or zone a zone or compartment…

Connie Acayo, the spokesperson of the ministry told Xinhua by telephone 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. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-01/15/c_135982837.htm

Five domestic ducks and a hen in Masaka were also infected, leading authorities to call for all poultry to be kept inside to avoid further contagion from migratory birds, it said. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/uganda-detects-bird-flu-among-migratory-birds/3440502.html