Flutrop CIRAD Avian Influenza

Malawi belongs to the SADC community and has not experienced H5N1 outbreak.

The country holds around 25,000,000 chickens, 50% are broilers production with 92% of the domestic chickens produced in commercial or semi-commercial industries.

Malawi has an extensive wetlands network with of course lake Malawi but also some others areas along the rift valley which can host numerous wild birds species. Wild birds migrations are important between December and March.

No active survey has been put in place for H5N1. However an emergency plan has been draft and a passive surveillance network has been set up and a media campaign has been launched. A AI National Task Force has been constituted.

Two epidemiological survey of the influenza virus in wild birds has been conducted in Malawi, in February 2006 and April 2007, in the framework of the Technical Cooperation Programmes (TCP) of FAO ( Surveillance and prevention of HPAI, FAO TCP ). Objectives were to evaluate the Avian Influenza prevalence, in particular highly pathogenic strains, among wild bird populations, including both migratory and resident bird species; and to provide technical support to the national surveillance programme through capacity building of national counterparts on sampling techniques