CAPE TOWN – Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said Cabinet acknowledges that if government does not manage the latest outbreak of bird flu correctly, it could threaten food security.
Briefing the media on Thursday following Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting, Ntshavheni said the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority were exploring applications for the registration of possible vaccines.
While the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal have experienced outbreaks of the H5 strain, Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West are battling H7.
Ntshavheni said the situation may warrant the imports of poultry products but the Department of Agriculture was working with all the provinces to limit this.
“To ensure that the provinces that are not affected remain insulated from the spread but also they can ramp up production so that we minimise imports to the best of our ability and increase production locally, so we can feed our nation.”