Another bird flu outbreak

This latest outbreak in Nigeria was discovered following the unusually high mortality reported in two poultry farms and live bird markets in Lagos and Kano states.  The number of birds so far exposed has risen to 232, 385 with 51, 444 mortalities recorded. Of all the states affected, Kano has the highest exposure rate of […]

This latest outbreak in Nigeria was discovered following the unusually high mortality reported in two poultry farms and live bird markets in Lagos and Kano states.  The number of birds so far exposed has risen to 232, 385 with 51, 444 mortalities recorded. Of all the states affected, Kano has the highest exposure rate of birds, put at 136,905 with 17, 987 mortality rate, while Lagos State has 38, 845 with 4, 732 mortality rate.
At a meeting yesterday in Abuja with his counterpart commissioners of the 36 states, the Minister of Agriculture, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, announced a compensation package of N145.145million to 39 farmers in the 11 affected states where culling of birds had been done by the government.
They are fears that some experts have discounted that the virus may jump the species barrier and cause a pandemic.  
But Adesina assured, in earlier briefing, that the outbreak had not reached a crisis. “There is no cause for alarm, though at least one strain of the virus that causes the disease can infect humans,” he said.
He called on the public not to be afraid of eating poultry products because the virus is spread only through contact between live birds and people who directly handle them, and that the virus dies when the poultry is cooked.  “Nigerians should feel free to eat chicken and eggs. Nigeria will successfully control the bird flu outbreak; we have successfully controlled it in the past,” he added.
 Some of the states with cases of the bird flu have also assured that efforts were being made to tackle the outbreak. Lagos State government said it has embarked on active disease search by surveillance agents, bio-security monitoring and sensitization in poultry farms and markets. Some officials, asked to identify affected farms declined, saying they would not do so ‘for security reasons’. But part of the effort to contain and stop the spread of the virus should be the need for full disclosure, because members of the public have a right to information on issues that may impact on them. They need to be adequately informed about the farms that are affected so that they can take appropriate protection measures. Poultry farmers and hatcheries should also be encouraged to register their facilities for effective monitoring and extension services.
 Farmers of the umbrella Nigerian Poultry Association have said that efforts had been taken to tackle the disease, but they need to do more. They should urge their members to disclose the health status of their farms and birds. They should also set up independent task forces to monitor farms and ensure that they comply with safety regulations.
Poultry farmers should also be told that this is not the time for maximizing profit; the health of the people should be paramount. They should, therefore, dispose of birds that die of the disease and inform the appropriate government agency, and also ensure that any bird that is infected does not get into the market.
Officials of the Nigeria Customs Service and of the Ministry of Health should step up efforts to tighten Nigeria’s borders with other countries. Adequate checks should be done to ensure that birds or any other livestock coming into the country are certified healthy.
With the spread of the disease, sensitization campaigns should be embarked upon to enlighten the public, farmers as well as farm workers on the outbreak and steps to take against it.