Here we go again!

KAMPALA, 22 Sep 2006 (IRIN) - Uganda authorities have asked officials in districts bordering Sudan to be on alert following confirmed cases of avian flu in the southern Sudanese capital of Juba, officials said on Friday.

"We have sent out a warning to all districts especially those bordering Sudan and the national task force on bird flu is meeting every week to assess the situation," Paul Kaggwa, the spokesman for the Ministry of Health, said.

The districts include Adjumani, Apac, Arua, Gulu, Kaabong, Kitgum, Koboko, Kotido, Lira, Moroto, Moyo, Nebbi, Pader and Yumbe. They were asked to set up and strengthen task forces on bird flu to enhance surveillance and public education.

Uganda, Kagwa added, had also embarked on training medical personnel to handle the situation if the disease, which was confirmed in local chickens on 6 September, appeared across the border in Uganda.

"Juba, being a two-hour drive from the Ugandan border, makes it possible for the deadly virus to easily spread across into Uganda," he said.

A communication strategy has been developed in local languages to raise public awareness about the disease. The Uganda Wildlife Authority was also monitoring the movement of birds from the north. "We have set up eight special sites to pick samples," said Patrick Atimnedi, spokesman for the authority.

According to wildlife officials, six species of migratory birds have been cited at Queen Elizabeth National Park, in the west of the country. Uganda lies on major migratory routes of birds moving to southern Africa from Europe and West Africa. There was cause to worry thanks to increased business traffic between Uganda and the southern Sudan town, the officials said.

Although the H5N1 virus has not been known to spread from human-to-human, people coming into contact with infected birds could easily contract the disease. Cases of avian influenza have been reported in several countries in Africa, including Djibouti.