Huckabee in Africa?

Benin priests battle bird flu with Voodoo | International | Reuters: "By Samuel Elijah

COTONOU (Reuters) - Sacrificing 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 in the mid-1990s and January 10 is celebrated as National Voodoo Day, a public holiday ranking with Christmas and the Muslim Eid.

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."

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