Malawian veterinary experts on Thursday said a ”heavy downpour of rains” caused thousands of migratory birds to drop dead, then to be eaten by locals, ruling out fears that bird flu may have reached the country.
Thousands of birds dropped dead last week in central Malawi, with health officials urging people not to eat the birds because of fears for avian influenza, which has already claim 70 lives in Asia since 2003.
”The heavy rains that fell the previous night of December 13 killed the wild birds, which have been identified as European swallows [Hiando rustica rustica],” said Wilfred Lipita, livestock and animal director in the Southern African country’s agricultural ministry.
He said blood and tissue samples of the birds were collected by the country’s central veterinary laboratory and sent to South Africa’s Onderstepoort veterinary institute last week as a ”formality to rule out avian influenza as the cause of the deaths”.
Lipita said results from South Africa will be known by next week.
Police were first alerted that scores of villagers in Ntchisi district, about 200km east of the administrative capital, Lilongwe were feasting on the mysterious ”manna from heaven”, Lipita said.
The government cautioned them not to eat the dead birds since they may contain the H5N1 virus, which has proved to be deadly to humans in other countries.
World health bodies have warned that once the virus achieves the ability to transmit from human to human, millions of people could die.
Malawi has not reported any cases of avian influenza.
Locals started collecting to eat the birds, which were believed to have migrated from Israel after one of them was found to have a ring inscribed with the word ”Israel” on it. — Sapa-AFP