http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=1262
By Samuel Elijah
http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=3148 chickens in a spray of blood, Benin’s traditional priests celebrated Voodoo Day on Thursday and declared their ancient religion would protect them from risk of infection by the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus.
The small West African state, home of the Voodoo rituals carried by slaves to the Americas, last month announced at least two cases of bird flu in poultry which tests in Europe confirmed were of the deadly H5N1 strain that can be fatal to humans.
After Benin lifted a previous ban on the practice of Voodoo, it was declared an official religion in the former French colony.
Benin health experts have warned the country’s Voodoo priests their practice of sacrificing chickens — sometimes by tearing out the birds’ throats with teeth or drinking their blood — creates a major risk of contamination from sick birds.
“It’s not a question of religion … the unprotected manipulation of poultry is dangerous,” Julien Toessi, director of health promotion at the Health Ministry, told Reuters.Voodoo practitioners, spurning the protective suits, gloves and masks recommended for handling suspect birds, declared their faith would shield them from infection during ceremonies in which sacrificed chickens’ blood is sprayed over the faithful and the ground to “purify” them and gain favour from the gods.
“If you buy a chicken to sacrifice it to your God, he will not let you buy an infected bird,” said Dah Aligbonon, a Voodoo priest from Abomey, the former capital of the ancient African kingdom of Dahomey.
H5N1 bird flu has killed more than 200 people around the world, mainly in Asia, since 2003 and over the last two years a string of West African states, including Benin’s immediate neighbours, have reported outbreaks of the disease.
“We don’t fear infection from bird flu … because there is a divine power that accompanies our sacrifice,” Aligbonon added.
Voodoo “convents” across Benin held ceremonies on Thursday accompanied by dancing and drumming.
http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL10884753.html