JOHANNESBURG, Feb. 9 (Xinhuanet) -- South African veterinary institute said here Thursday that it will conduct tests on bird samples from Kenya, Malawi and Sudan as part of international efforts to help track the possible spread of bird flu.

    Celia Abolnik, senior researcher at Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute outside Pretoria, said: "We have been asked by the Food and Agricultural Organization and the African Union to be a support laboratory for the African continent."

    She said: "We will be testing samples collected for surveillance on the African continent."

    She added that officials were currently collecting samples in Kenya, Malawi and Sudan. The samples should arrive in South Africafor testing in the next two weeks.

    Africa is on high alert after the H5N1 strain of avian influenza, which can be fatal to humans, was reported in Nigeria Wednesday -- the first to hit the continent.

    The outbreak was discovered on a farm near Kaduna, 300 km northof Abuja, prompting several countries to announce a ban on poultryimports from Nigeria. Enditem