Avian influenza (AI) – also called bird flu – is a transboundary zoonotic disease.

The Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) caused by avian influenza virus has been in existence since 1901 and has been responsible for outbreaks in poultry in different parts of the world at different times in the 19th and 20th century. The current wave of HPAI outbreaks of subtype H5N1 (Haemagglutinin type 5 and Neuraminidase subtype 1) first occurred in China 1996 where it seems to have become quiescent until 2002. It was reported 2005 in Europe and 2006 in Africa.

In West Africa, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Niger, Nigeria, Togo and Benin as well as Egypt, Djibouti and Sudan on the Eastern side of the continent have reported infections. As predicted, the risk of the disease to become endemic in poultry seems a reality in Nigeria and Egypt.

Until today, AI remains an animal disease. There has been no confirmed human-to-human transmission. Highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) outbreaks in human have reduced drastically since January 2009 and are being reported only in 3 countries namely, China, Viet Nam and in Africa, Egypt.

The influenza virus might undergo genetic mutation and acquire the characteristics of a highly contagious and pathogenic disease of humans and Africa might become a reservoir for the virus from where the re-emergence of the disease could pose recurrent risk of the virus mutating or undergoing re-assortment, thereby starting a human pandemic. It is not possible to foresee when a mutation to this effect might occur or if it will happen at all but experience from most recent influenza pandemics show that consequences of a pandemic can be devastating.

Not only a human pandemic with vast numbers of people dying of the disease is a catastrophe. Even a pandemic restricted to animals could mean disaster to human life. Be it through sickness or culling measures imposed to try and contain the spread of the virus, a bird flu pandemic that kills vast parts of poultry flock would certainly have severe socioeconomic impact. For Africa in particular with its heavy dependence on poultry as primary protein source for humans, the impact on food security and the loss of income would be tremendous.

Given these extremely high risks, it is of utmost importance especially for the African continent to prepare for possible disaster scenarios.

AU-IBAR interventions in avian influenza include Support Programme to Integrated National Action Plans for Avian and Human Influenza (SPINAP-AHI), Emergency Relief Support to Combat Avian influenza (ERSCA) and Early Detection, Reporting and Surveillance – Avian Influenza in Africa (EDRSAIA).