By Talent Gondo| Government has issued an alert over a bird flu outbreak in South Africa urging its citizens not to import poultry products from the neighbouring country.

Livestock and Veterinary Services Deputy director in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture and Rural Development, Josphat Nyika said South Africa’s veterinary officials confirmed the outbreak which has so far been confirmed in two districts in the North Western Province of the country.

“There is a bird flu outbreak in two districts in the North West Province in South Africa which is near Zimbabwe,” said Nyika.

He urged Zimbabweans not to import poultry and its products from South Africa adding that the ban on the importation of poultry was still standing considering that South Africa had not been declared free from bird flu.

“The public should not import poultry from South Africa. Citizens should also be aware that the import ban on poultry is still on,” he said.

Zimbabwe and South Africa lost over one million chickens to the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) between May and August 2017.

Zimbabwe culled around 215 000 birds, a development which affected the availability of table eggs and other poultry products.