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April 04, 2006

Bird flu now found in Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso has just become the 5th African country to confirm the presence of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus.

The spread of bird flu to Burkina
This was, sadly, fairly inevitable once it had been found in Niger - although the government were quick in closing down the frontiers to poultry, so much of the border is of course permeable to local traffic, and of course no-one can stop the birds flying overhead.

Chickens are the cheapest source of meat protein in Burkina, and most families will have a few running around, so this affects everyone. The chicken flu virus appears at the moment to be only spread to humans by close contact with the killing and handling of sick poultry. In Burkina this is bad enough, since that could be just about anyone and everyone. The greatest fear however is that the virus may mutate so that it spreads from human to human.

Food Crisis and the local Economy
Already when I was in Burkina, chicken prices were dropping as everyone was getting rid of them because of the fear of bird flu. At the same time, sheep, goat, and cattle prices are high. So, if you have so little money, what meat would you eat? When you have no choice, what choice do you have...?

Thankfully last year's harvest was good in Burkina, but - as we have seen on the television from Niger the last few days - the long-term effects of the 2004 food crisis are also impacting people already. People who took out loans or lost their herds during the crisis in 2004, or who had nothing left to sow in 2005, are suffering again. The situation is worse in Niger than Burkina, where the situation was more contained, and where the government, agencies, and churches responded more quickly and efficiently. But, in Burkina too, it is the most vulnerable of course who will suffer again.

Please pray
Please pray for the protection of the Burkinabe population, and that the virus does not mutate.

Thank you.

Tags: africa burkina burkina faso travel famine bird flu sahel disease health

Posted by Keith at April 4, 2006 11:12 AM