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Poultry slaughtered in Niger bird flu campaign
June 09, 2006
NIAMEY (AFP) - Authorities have started slaughtering birds in southeast Niger to stop the spread of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu in the vast west African country.
The operation focused on the area of Boko Mai Gao, where avian flu was detected for the first time last week.
"The slaughter began today," said Seini Aboubacar on Friday, who is charge of the effort to contain bird flu in Niger.
Officials said the slaughter operation would last one day and so far poultry owners had been cooperative. Compensation was being paid on the spot.
The outbreak in Boko Maigao village, 700 kilometres (434 miles) east of the capital, is the first since the mass slaughter of birds in the Maradi area where the country's first two bird flu cases were detected in February.
Niger is one of eight African countries that have been hit by the disease. The others are Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Djibouti, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Nigeria and Sudan.
Of those, human cases have been reported in Djibouti and Egypt. The virus has killed more than 100 people mainly in Asia.
June 09, 2006
NIAMEY (AFP) - Authorities have started slaughtering birds in southeast Niger to stop the spread of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu in the vast west African country.
The operation focused on the area of Boko Mai Gao, where avian flu was detected for the first time last week.
"The slaughter began today," said Seini Aboubacar on Friday, who is charge of the effort to contain bird flu in Niger.
Officials said the slaughter operation would last one day and so far poultry owners had been cooperative. Compensation was being paid on the spot.
The outbreak in Boko Maigao village, 700 kilometres (434 miles) east of the capital, is the first since the mass slaughter of birds in the Maradi area where the country's first two bird flu cases were detected in February.
Niger is one of eight African countries that have been hit by the disease. The others are Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Djibouti, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Nigeria and Sudan.
Of those, human cases have been reported in Djibouti and Egypt. The virus has killed more than 100 people mainly in Asia.
