Mixed reactions trail bird flu outbreak in Ogun

The federal government had last week disclosed that the state has been found to be part of the seven states in the federation with cases of the disease.On Monday, the Ogun State government formally confirmed the outbreak of H5N1 also known as bird flu, but stakeholders in the industry said the situation was not as […]

The federal government had last week disclosed that the state has been found to be part of the seven states in the federation with cases of the disease.
On Monday, the Ogun State government formally confirmed the outbreak of H5N1 also known as bird flu, but stakeholders in the industry said the situation was not as pronounced as the government would want the public to believe.
The state Commissioner for Agriculture, Mrs Ronke Sokefun, while addressing newsmen said samples from Sango, Sagamu and Ifo birds markets tested positive to the highly pathogenic bird flu virus.
She said samples of birds taken from another poultry farm on Obalende-Ikangba road in Odogbolu Local Government Area of the state also tested positive.
She said other markets in Abeokuta, Ijebu Ode, Ilaro and Ayetoro were not left out, adding that the samples of the virus have been sent to the National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, near Jos in Plateau State.
Meanwhile, the Ogun State chairman, Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Dr. Olalekan Odunsi, however, said there was no cause for alarm.
Odunsi said the association in conjunction with other neighbouring states had held stakeholders meeting on ways of containing the virus.
He said: “We have sent SMS to our members on advocacy and the need for them to take preventive measures on their farms.
Another farmer in Otta, Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area, Adetoyinbo Emmanuel, said the situation is relatively very low, noting that the government “ought to have embarked upon thorough assessment of the affected farms before going public.
“In my area at Ota, we are getting in touch with ourselves and I can tell you that we are yet to have any record. We are strongly applying the precautionary steps. Going out to announce sends wrong signal to the public.
“In fact, am yet to have any government official coming to inspect. This is what they should have done first, to ascertain the state of all farms and their birds,” Adetoyinbo said.
Also, another poultry expert based in Sagamu, who himself had been a victim of the bird flu outbreak in 2003, Taiwo Adefolabo Joseph, said about six notable farms in Sagamu Local Government Area of the state, was yet to record any incidence of the disease, wondering how the government action had impacted negatively on the farmers.
He listed areas to include Ogijo, Sotunbo, Ita Oluwo,Ewuga, Aiyegbami and Ewulepe, saying, “as I am talking to you now, all these farms are yet to record any incidence. The government should have been careful in raising the alarm on the outbreak.
“They should have embarked on serious sensitisation and orientation and possible conduct of checks of all farms and ascertaining which and which farm has the disease,” he added that farmers in the area are on top of the situation and all necessary precautions have been put in place.