Bird flu outbreak is declared over, thousands of birds were killed to prevent the spreading of the disease

On 13 September 2005 Agriculture Minister , Thoko Didiza, announced that South Africa had been declared free of notifiable avian influenza (bird flu).  The partial ban imposed on the export of ostriches, poultry and ostrich and poultry product was lifted. The disease was discovered in ostriches over a year earlier in July 2004 in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape. Thousands of birds were killed to prevent the spreading of the disease. Avian influenza, or "bird flu", is a contagious disease of animals caused by viruses that normally infect only birds and, less commonly, pigs. Avian influenza viruses are highly species-specific, but have, on rare occasions, crossed the species barrier to infect humans. In domestic poultry, infection with avian influenza viruses causes two main forms of disease, distinguished by low and high extremes of virulence. The so-called "low pathogenic" form commonly causes only mild symptoms (ruffled feathers, a drop in egg production) and may easily go undetected. The highly pathogenic form is far more dramatic. It spreads very rapidly through poultry flocks, causes disease affecting multiple internal organs, and has a mortality that can approach 100%, often within 48 hours.