South Africa bans live hen sales to contain H5N8 outbreak

South Africa has banned the sale of live hens throughout the country in a bid to contain an outbreak of the highly contagious H5N8 bird flu. According to Reuters, the government confirmed on Monday that no humans have been infected.

Exports of processed poultry products, live chickens and fresh produce will continue depending on the requirements of importing countries, the department of agriculture said in a statement.

The H5N8 outbreak in South Africa earlier this month was reported at a commercial broiler breeder farm in Mpumalanga Province, where about 5,000 birds died and the rest were killed as a precautionary measure against the disease’s spread.