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AVIAN FLU TRAVELS TO AFRICA
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The deadly strain of bird flu has been found in poultry
in northern Nigeria, the World Organisation for Animal Health
(OIE) has said in
a statement. The Paris-based organisation said this was the first time
the disease had been detected in Africa. The body said it was the
"highly pathogenic" strain of the H5N1 bird flu virus, which can kill humans. |
The
deadly strain of bird flu has been found in poultry in
northern Nigeria, the World Organisation for Animal
Health (OIE) has said in a statement. The Paris-based
organisation said this was the first time the disease
had been detected in Africa. The body said it was the
"highly pathogenic" strain of the H5N1 bird
flu virus, which can kill humans.
It was detected on a farm in the northern state of Kaduna, where a team of
experts have been sent. Authorities there said they had taken measures to stamp out
the outbreak by disinfecting the affected premises, imposing a quarantine
and putting restrictions on animal movements.
It is not clear if the case on a commercial chicken farm
in Jaid, near the city of Kaduna, has any relation to the deaths of thousands
of chickens in neighbouring Kano state. Officials at the Ministry of
Agriculture say they are still investigating whether the poultry there died of a
more common avian disease.
"We are really not dealing with a backyard operation,"OIE
expert Alex Thiermann told Associated Press news agency.
Nigerian Agriculture Minister Adamu Bello said the government would cull all
infected birds and has announced a multi-million dollar compensation programme
for farmers.
FAO and OIE today called upon veterinary authorities in Nigeria
to immediately close down poultry markets throughout Kaduna and Kanostates and neighbouring regions to prevent the further spread of the
deadly bird flu virus.
Countries surrounding Nigeria (Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Ghana, Niger
and Togo) should increase surveillance measures, the two
organizations said in a joint statement. Veterinary staff should be mobilized to
tighten border inspections and control.
Mutation fears
Mr. Bello said the bird flu might have been carried by migrating
birds or the smuggling of infected chickens from abroad. For
two years Nigeria has banned poultry imports from countries which have
experienced cases of bird flu. There are fears that the disease could easily spread
in Africa because of a lack of safeguards. "What is most important now is
not how it got into Nigeria, but how it can be prevented from
leaving Nigeria," Cape Town ornithologist Phil Hockey told Reuters.
Mr. Haruna said affected farmers from Kano were still waiting to be quarantined.
More than 80 people have died of H5N1 bird flu since the disease's
resurgence in December 2003 - most in Asia. Experts point out
that cross-infection to humans is still relatively rare, and usually occurs
where people have been in close contact with infected birds. But they say if the H5N1strain mutates so it can be passed between humans some 150m people could die.
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