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Panic as avian flu breaks out

Experts say you may have bird or avian flu if you experience typical flu-like symptoms such as runny nose, sore throat, headache, respiratory difficulties, fever, muscle aches and diarrhea.

Ministry of Agriculture on Jan.15 released an alert about the outbreak of the disease in two spots of Entebbe and Masaka districts warning people to keep their poultry indoors in order to avoid further spread. In a statement, Agriculture Minister Christopher Kibazanga said local wildlife authorities had reported a mass death of wild birds at Lutembe beach on the shores of Lake Victoria near Entebbe before another case being discovered in Masaka.

Avian flu is a viral infection of birds but can affect human beings if they get in contact with the infected birds. Though it has not had a wide spread outbreak, Uganda is among the countries in sub-Saharan Africa that face a high risk of a bird flu outbreak as crisscrossed by several routes for migratory birds, which are carriers of the virus.

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editor@independent.co.ug

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