Nigeria announces outbreak of bird flu

[Gert van der Hoek]

Officer announces outbreak of bird flu

Gusau, May 23, 2007 (NAN) An outbreak of bird flu has been reported in Namaturu village of Bungudu Local Government Area of Zamfara. The Avian

Influenza Desk Officer in the state Ministry of Animal Health, Dr Aminu Abdulrazak, disclosed this today in Gusau at a news conference. He said when the ministry received the report last week, it dispatched some experts to the area to ascertain its authenticity. He explained that samples of the birds were later sent to the National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI), Vom in Plateau, where it was confirmed positive.

The desk officer noted that the ministry had already depopulated 231 birds in the village as part of measures to check the spread of the disease. Flu -- 2 He added that the ministry had disinfected the whole area using automatic and manual sprayers.

Abdulrazak said the ministry had carried out enlightenment campaigns to educate people living in the affected area on the need to avoid contact with the birds.

The villagers were also advised to adhere strictly to the advice given them by doctors to check the spread of the disease, he said. He urged poultry farmers in the state to report any suspicious bird to the ministry for action.

http://www.upi.com/AfricaMonitoring/view.php?StoryID=20070523-174355-5039-r

 

[HenryN]

Re: Nigeria announces outbreak of bird flu

Nigeria reports bird flu outbreak

http://www.france24.com/france24Pub...p-news.html?id=070523191253.wp1pf8xs&cat=null

<!-- Subtitle --><!-- Text -->Health authorities reported Wednesday an outbreak of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus in Nigeria's northern state of Zamfara, the official NAN news agency said.
The virus was confirmed through tests on affected birds in Namaturu village and more than 200 birds had been culled to curtail the spread of the disease, said Aminu Abdulrazak from the state health ministry.
The whole area had been disinfected and villagers had been advised to follow advice from doctors on the matter, he added.
Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation with some 140 million people, earlier this year reported west Africa's first human bird flu death.
A 22-year-old woman died in Lagos on January 17 weeks after plucking and disembowelling a chicken.
Bird flu was first detected in Nigeria on a farm in Jaji town outside the northern city of Kano in February last year from where it spread to other parts of the country.
Kano, northern Nigeria's most populous city, was worst affected by the flu outbreak which ravaged 97 farms in the city resulting in the death or culling of at least 300,000 birds, officials said.
Three more northern states -- Katsina, Sokoto and Bauchi -- have recorded a resurgence of bird flu since it resurfaced in Kano.

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[Treyfish]

Re: Nigeria announces outbreak of bird flu

Health officials in Nigeria have confirmed an outbreak of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus in another northern state. A spokesman for the Zamfara state ministry of health in northern Nigeria, Aminu Abdulrazak, told reporters that tests on birds showing signs of the H5N1 bird flu confirmed the outbreak. He said more than 200 birds have so far been culled at an infected farm in Namafara village to minimize the spread of the disease. The first confirmed case of bird flu in Nigeria was reported in February last year. The deadly virus subsequently spread to other parts of the country. Zamfara now joins the long list of Nigerian states that have reported outbreaks since last year. Experts fear this is another sign that the virus may be spreading among poultry farms in Nigeria. Nigeria Veterinary Association President Garba Sharabutu blames a weak monitoring system and the influx of unqualified animal health personnel for the persistence of avian flu in Nigeria. "Up till now, the populace has not come to terms with the issue of movement of birds," he said. "And the second thing is that, we are also trying to caution members of our profession and the quack doctors that move about, because by the time people engage people who do not know the implication of moving from one farm to another without taking necessary precautions, it is possible to have these [new infections]."

The Department of Veterinary Research says about 1 million birds have died since the bird flu outbreak of February last year. Dr. Sharabutu says Nigeria will have an idea of the extent of bird flu infections soon, when officials finish analyzing results from a nationwide surveillance project. "People were sent to the various states of the federation and we undertook surveillance, " said Dr. Sharabutu. "So in the next month it is possible that we will be able to know the real status of the disease in all parts of the federation from the samples that we had gone around to collect." Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation with some 150 million people, reported West Africa's first human death from bird flu early last year. It is the only country in the region to report a human death from the disease.) :tiphat: http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/woalert_read.php?cid=11510&cat=dis&lang=eng