Wild Birds and Avian Influenza in Africa
FAO Surveillance Program : 2006 Campaign
From mid January to mid May 2006, field campaigns were conducted in 14 countries, mostly in Africa, including recently infected countries. In total, 5,256 samples were collected in large wetland areas where Eurasian and Afro-tropical waterbirds congregate. A majority of these samples were collected from Afro-tropical ducks (30%, mostly White-faced Whistling Duck Dendrocygna viduata) and Eurasian ducks (29%, mostly Garganey Anas querquedula), while other samples originated from waders (16%), gulls (11%) and rails (9%). The overall prevalence for avian influenza viruses detected by RT-PCR was 3.3%, with no positivity for H5N1 virus. Five distinct virus isolates were obtained from the RT-PCR positive samples. Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza (LPAI) viruses were detected and isolated in both Eurasian and Afro-tropical bird species, indicating that low pathogenic viruses have been circulating in Africa during the northern winter. These findings reveal that LPAI virus can persist in wild birds in sub-tropical environments, and support the hypothesis that avian influenza viruses could be perpetuated in wild birds throughout the year, including in Palearctic waterbirds wintering in sub-Saharan Africa before their northwards spring migration.
ACKNOLEDGMENT AND MISSION REPORTS
We would like to acknowledge the participation of and permissions granted by numerous national and local agencies in the selected countries, without which this work would not have been possible. This extensive survey on avian influenza surveillance in wild birds has been coordinated by Cirad, Wetlands International and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations through its technical cooperation program and has been made possible by additional financial resources received by the government of France.
We are also grateful to the numerous ornithologists and veterinarians who collaborated to this surveillance program for collecting bird samples, as well as to the various laboratory teams for processing the samples.
Partners for field surveys:
- Burkina Faso: Brigade Régionale des Eaux et Forêt de l’Est, CIRAD, Direction Générale des Services Vétérinaires, Direction de la Faune et des Chasses, Ecosystèmes Protégés en Afrique Sahélienne (ECOPAS), Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage (ONCFS). Download Mission Report
- Chad: CIRAD, Direction du Camp de Chasse de Douguia, Direction des services vétérinaires, Laboratoire de Farcha, Ministère de la Défense Française, Ministère de l’Environnement et son conseiller, PACE Tchad. Download Mission Report
- Egypt: Nature Conservation Sector of the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency, OMPO. Download Mission Report
- Ethiopia: CIRAD, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Wildlife Conservation Department and Animal Health Department. Download Mission Report
- Kenya: WBMS (Wetlands Biodiversity Monitoring Scheme for Eastern Africa), National Museums of Kenya (NMK), Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Department of Veterinary Services of Kenya (DVS), WWT. Download Mission Report
- Malawi: Malawi Department of Animal Health & Livestock Development, AFRING / Avian Demography Unit (Univ. Cape Town), Lake Chilwa Bird Hunters Association . Download Mission Report
- Mali: Association des Mareyeuses de Mopti, CIRAD, Comité technique de coordination contre la grippe aviaire, Direction de la conservation de la faune et son conseiller, Wetlands International-Mali, ONCFS. Download Mission Report
- Mauritania: CIRAD, Ministère du Développement Rural et de l'Environnement -Direction de l’élevage -Direction de l’Environnement, CNERV, Service de Coopération et d'Action Culturelle, PN Diawling, PN Banc d’Arguin, Association des Chasseurs de Mauritanie. Download Mission Report
- Morocco: CIRAD, Haut Commissariat aux Eaux et Forêts et à la lutte contre la désertification, Laboratoire National d’Epidémiologie et des Zoonoses (LNEZ), Laboratoire National de contrôle des médicaments vétérinaires (LNCMV), Ministère de l’Agriculture du Dévelopment Rural et des Pêches maritimes, OIE. Download Mission Report
- Niger: Association des chasseurs du Niger, CIRAD, ECOPAS Niger, Institut Friedrich Loeffler, Direction de la Faune, de la Pêche et de la Pisciculture, Ministère de la Santé Animale, PACE Niger. Download Mission Report
- Senegal: CIRAD, Comité National de lutte contre la grippe aviaire (CONAGA), Direction des Parcs Nationaux du Sénégal, ISRA/LNERV, ONCFS, PN de la Langue de Barbarie, PN du Djoudj, Ranch de Bango, Service Protection Zoosanitaire du Sénégal, Services Vétérinaires de Saint Louis. Download Mission Report
- Sudan: Sudanese Wildlife Society, Sudan Wildlife Conservation General Administration. Download Mission Report
- Ukraine: Azov-Black Sea Ornithological Station, Wetlands International Black Sea program, SOVON, Ukrainian Department for Veterinary Medicine. Download Mission Report
- Tunisia: Association 'Les Amis des Oiseaux', Direction Générale des Forêts, Ministère de l’Agriculture et des Ressources Hydrauliques (Tunisia), WWT. Download Mission Report
International Collaborating Laboratories:
- CRL (Community Reference Laboratory, Weybridge, UK)
- IZS (Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Padova, Italia)
- NAMRU3 (US Naval Medical Research Unit-3, Cairo, Egypt)
- ARC-OVI (Agricultural Research Council Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute, RSA)
- SEPRL (Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory, USDA/ARS, USA)
Cirad Avian Influenza
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