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Tag: bird flu

  • Kano confirms death of 32 chickens to bird flu

    Kano confirms death of 32 chickens to bird flu

    An outbreak of bird flu has killed over 32 birds in Kano State.

    The Chief Medical Officer, Gwale Veterinary Hospital, Dr. Abdullahi Abubakar Gaya, confirmed the incident yesterday, saying investigations were ongoing as to whether humans had also been affected.

    He said a chicken rearer brought the first case to the hospital. It arose from an infected guinea fowl he bought at Janguza market without isolating it.

    “The mixing of the infected guinea fowl led to the death of over 32 other birds at the poultry farm which had a population of over 50 birds.

    “The poultry farmer reported the case to the hospital on December 7, 2024.That after mixing the guinea fowl with other birds, the guinea fowl died; after which other chickens started dying,” he said.

    He said the sample brought by the farmer at the hospital was diagnosed and bird flu virus was noticed.

    Gaya, who revealed that the farmer slaughtered the remaining chickens, warned that anybody who eats affected birds will develop health problems, pointing out that bird flu is a respiratory disease that is highly infectious.

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    “We are still investigating. More information is underway. The advice is that if you buy a bird, isolate it.

    “If  you see a sign of sickness in a bird or animal, report to the nearest veterinary hospital.

    If you see a dead bird, do not touch it, report to the nearest veterinary  hospital. The disease is changing pattern. It is becoming more serious,” Dr. Gaya added.

     Commissioner of Health, Dr. Abubakar Labaran Yusuf, also confirmed the mass death of chickens to bird flu in Gwale Local Government Area of the state.

  • Don warns against bird flu outbreak

    Aformer Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ilorin, Kwara State, Prof Abiodun Adeloye, has  warned about the likelihood of avian flu outbreak with lasting implications for people’s livelihoods.

    H5N1 avian influenza, or bird flu, has spread across Nigeria and some West African countries in the past two years, hitting poultry farms.

    Nearly 3.5 million birds in Nigeria have been killed by the virus.

    Adeloye noted that though  the epidemic had ceased , there is likelihood of  occurrence with  importation of livestock.

    He called on animal health authorities and border agencies to monitor the movement of live livestock in an effort to stop the spread of the disease.

    According to him, there should be successful preventative measure for farmers and breeders.

    H5N1 bird flu first infected humans in 1997 in Hong Kong. It has since spread from Asia to Europe and Africa and has become entrenched in poultry in some countries, causing millions of poultry infections and several hundred human deaths.

    Last year, the Federal Government announced the outbreak  of Avian Influenza, popularly known as bird flu, was in 123 local government areas and 800 poultry farms across the country.

    According to the government, six states and the Federal Capital Territory had reported the disease in 2017, adding that the last reported outbreak was from Kaduna State on May 30 last year.

    The Federal Government explained that aside Kaduna, other states where the cases of bird flu were reported this year include Bauchi, Kano, Katsina, Nasarawa and Plateau.

    Bird flu is a highly contagious viral disease, initially of birds but affects other animal species and humans.

    The disease is spread by migratory wild birds and movement of infected birds and products, which can have serious socio-economic, public health, as well as security implications.

    Experts say the disease can kill all birds in a poultry farm and can cause 100 per cent mortality.

    The disease was first reported in Nigeria in 2006 and was successfully controlled and eradicated in July 2008.

  • Bird flu: poultry farmers urge govt to hasten compensation

    Bird flu: poultry farmers urge govt to hasten compensation

    Bird Flu Affected Farmers Association has called on the Federal Government to expedite action on the payment of compensation to members, who were affected by the disease outbreak in 2015, 2016 and this year.

    As part of measures to re-launch production, poultry farmers demanded compensation from the government for losses incurred during the avian flu scourge in the country.

    According to the association, some farmers are waiting to access the government’s compensation for their birds destroyed, after they were found to be infected by avian influenza, otherwise known as bird flu.

    In a statement by their representative, Oche David  Okpe, the association said, however,  that  some farmers in the 2015 batch have been compensated.

    The association added: ”Over 45 per cent of the 2015 affected farms and 2016 and 2017 are yet to be compensated,” stating that some of them have not been able to restock because their livelihood was completely shut down following  the disease.

    Early this year,  Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh assured poultry farmers of the Federal Government’s readiness to compensate those affected by the bird flu outbreak.

    He said although the computed amount was quite huge, the Federal Government was working out modalities on how to settle the farmers.

    “We have not compensated any farmer in the last one year because we have no money. The last compensation they were paid was a donation from the World Bank. I lost a lot of chickens, too.

    “We are trying to find money to pay them. So, it was a disaster. We can actually prevent Avian Flu in poultry through biosecurity measures in farms. Many farmers are very careless. Sometimes, the human being is a bigger transporter of diseases into the poultry farm than chicken.

    ”Make sure people don’t walk into your farm anyhow, a farmer from another farm don’t enter your farms, the feed sacks you use are not reused. There was an outbreak in Kano about two months ago, but it has been contained. So, somehow, we are limiting the outbreak of the disease. We have to find money to pay those who lost chickens but the sums are huge,”he said.

    He continued: “If we have to pay for all the chickens, we may be talking of something in the neighbourhood of six or seven billion (naira) in many states, especially around Kano and Kaduna. People were moving chickens all over the place without checking and some of the hatcheries are very dirty, so, other diseases have to come in.”

  • Bird flu discovered in Ogun

    Bird flu discovered in Ogun

    The Ogun State government  on Friday said  bird flu has been discovered at a breeder poultry farm, located at Orile-Ilugun in Odeda Local Government Council Area (Ilugun LCDA) part of the state.

    The state government added that it has also activated bird flu control measures at the poultry farm to check the spread of the flu that causes Avian influenza.

    The Commissioner for Agriculture, Mrs. Adepeju Adebajo, who made this  known, explained that  the proactive steps became necessary  to tackle the bird flu discovered on the farm.

    She said the ministry had visited the farm on September 7, to carry out disease surveillance activities, with the intention of curtailing any potential spread of the virus.

    “The causative agent was found to be H5N8, which is a variant of the H5N1 virus, that was previously known to exist in Nigeria,” Adebajo said.

    She however said there was  no cause for alarm, as no live bird from other poultry farms in the state had tested positive to the highly pathogenic bird flu.

    According to her, samples of birds taken from another poultry farm in the Local Government Area of the state had tested negative to the H5N8 virus.

    “Other farms and markets in Abeokuta, Ijebu Ode, Ilaro and Ayetoro were not left out,” she added.

    The last reported incidence of bird flu in Ogun State occurred in Oct 2015.‎

  • South Africa bans sale of live hens to contain bird flu

    South Africa bans sale of live hens to contain bird flu

    South Africa has banned the sale of live hens throughout the country in a bid to control an outbreak of highly contagious H5N8 bird flu, the government said on Monday.

    The country’s department of agriculture said in a statement that no humans had been affected.

    “Exports of processed poultry products, live chickens and fresh produce will continue depending on the requirements of importing countries.

    “To date, no human cases of infection with avian influenza H5N8 have been reported.

    “However, people handling wild birds, sick or dying poultry must wear protective clothing and wash their hands with disinfectants,” the department said.

    The government said meat from healthy poultry was safe to eat due to strict inspections at abattoirs,

    though people were urged to avoid eating any birds found dead, dying or sick.

    South Africa reported an outbreak this month of H5N8 bird flu on a commercial broiler breeder farm in Mpumalanga province, where about 5,000 birds died and the rest were culled.

    The H5N8 strain has been detected in several countries in Europe, Africa and Asia over the past two years, its spread aided by wild bird migrations.

    Highly pathogenic among fowl, the risk of human infection is low.

    South Africa suspended all trade in birds and chicken products from neighboring Zimbabwe earlier this month after it reported an outbreak of the H5N8 bird flu at a poultry farm.

  • FG alerts public on bird flu outbreak

    FG alerts public on bird flu outbreak

    Avian Influenza or bird flu is back in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and seven states of the country, the Federal Government warned yesterday.

    The Director of Veterinary and Pest Control Services, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Gideon Mshelbwala, raised the alarm at a meeting with state commissioners of agriculture in Abuja yesterday.

    Affected by the outbreak are: Bauchi, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Nasarawa, Plateau and Kaduna states as well as the FCT which reported a case in May 30.

    He said that the disease had spread across 26 states of the federation and the FCT since it started in 2008 affecting 800 farms in no fewer than 123 local government areas.

    Mshelbwala, who said that there were no scientifically proven vaccines for bird flu, noted that the Federal Government was adopting quarantine, movement control, stamping out, decontamination and bio-security measures to curb the spread.

    The director expressed regret over the poor bio-security practices by some poultry farmers, adding that it was the major reason for the continuous spread of the disease.

    According to him, the Federal Government has paid over N674 million in compensations to 269 farmers across the affected states.

    “Our national action plan encourages proper regulation of the poultry industry and enforcement of annual registration of all actors along the poultry value chain, including farmers, traders, egg merchants and feed millers.

    “It also encourages the creation of veterinary extension services to facilitate the control and proper inspection of poultry and poultry products,’’ he said.

    Mshelbwala said that the way forward to the containment of the disease was to ban importation of poultry and products, quarantine and bio-security measures, among others.

    He, however, warned poultry farmers against illegal vaccination of birds, saying that it was a deadly alternative to the control of the disease.

  • FG alerts on birdflu outbreak of in 7 states, FCT

    FG alerts on birdflu outbreak of in 7 states, FCT

    The Federal Government on Friday alerted the public to the outbreak of Avian Influenza or Bird Flu in the FCT and seven states of the country.

    raised the alert at a meeting with state Commissioners of Agriculture in Abuja on Friday.

    Mshelbwala listed the states affected by the outbreak to include Bauchi, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Nasarawa, Plateau, FCT and lastly, which reported a case on May 30.

    He said that the disease had spread across 26 states of the federation and the FCT since it started in 2008 affecting 800 farms in no fewer than 123 local government areas.

    Mshelbwala, who said that there were no scientifically proven vaccines for bird flu, noted that the Federal Government was adopting quarantine, movement control, stamping out, decontamination and bio-security measures to curb the spread.

    The director expressed regret over the poor bio-security practices by some poultry farmers, adding that it was the major reason for the continuous spread of the disease.

    According to him, the Federal Government has paid over N674 million in compensations to 269 farmers across the affected states.

    “Our national action plan encourages proper regulation of the poultry industry and enforcement of annual registration of all actors along the poultry value chain including farmers, traders, egg merchants and feed millers.

    “It also encourages the creation of veterinary extension services to facilitate the control and proper inspection of poultry and poultry products,’’ he said.

    Mshelbwala said that the way forward to the containment of the disease was to ban importation of poultry and products, quarantine and bio-security measures, among others.

    He, however, warned poultry farmers against illegal vaccination of birds, saying that it was a deadly alternative to the control of the disease.

  • How to prevent bird flu spread, by don

    How to prevent bird flu spread, by don

    Nigerian Institute of Animal Science (NIAS) Registrar Prof. Eustace Ayemere Iyayi has urged local authorities to adopt precautionary measures against the spread of avian influenza, commonly called bird flu.

    He called for improved supervision, investigation and early discovery of all bird flu outbreaks.

    Speaking with The Nation, following the confirmation of the flu in some parts of the country, he called for the prevention of poultry smuggling through the border.

    Iyayi, the immediate past Dean, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Ibadan, said NIAS  woud intensify its campaigns for the of those living in high-risk areas.

    He called on operators and animal health authorities to focus on management and supervision and keep a close tab on vulnerable residents.

    Meanwhile, new strain of bird flu has entered the country and has spread to 26 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), with over 3.5 million birds affected.

    To prevent the spread of the disease into their countries, Nigeria’s neighbours have proposed a ban on poultry and poultry products from Nigeria.

    Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, made this known in Abuja at a  meeting with commissioners for agriculture/livestock, states directors of veterinary services and major stakeholders in the poultry industry.

    He explained that the first outbreak of bird flu was reported in the country in 2006 and spanned  2008, but that it was eradicated through the World Bank-sponsored project and support from the country’s development partners.

    The minister said: “The disease is trans-boundary in nature and also trade-limiting; some of our neighbouring countries have proposed to ban poultry and poultry products from Nigeria. This may undesirably lead to an egg glut in the country.”

    Ogbeh said there were huge and unacceptable losses in the poultry industry and the nation as a whole, urging the commissioners to retrace their steps to provide safe food for Nigerians as well as ensure national self-sufficiency in food production.

    He noted that aside paucity of funds, other challenges that led to the outbreak of the disease were lack of compliance with on-farm quarantine measures and movement restriction; violation of bio-safety measures leading to rapid spread of the disease; and clustering of poultry farmers with limited adherence to hygienic measures.

  • Bird flu

    Bird flu

    • Time to stem this pestilence

    That bird flu, a strain of avian influenza virus, is ravaging 26 states of Nigeria’s 36, as well as the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja, cannot be good news.
    That a new H5N8 strain, different from but more potent than the N5N1 ravaging the country, has just been diagnosed in Kano is even worse.
    It is time to seek a lasting solution to this perennial threat.
    Audu Ogbeh, minister of Agriculture, on January 10, spoke on the current epidemic, unfurling measures the government was putting up to combat it.  But from the minister’s projection, poultry farmers may be in for some short-term shock.
    To start with, they face likely trade recession, as the cross-border market is shut against them, to prevent the flu entering other neighbouring countries. Beside that trade deficit, there is likely to be an egg glut in the country, with corresponding crashing of prices.
    Then, some 3.5 million birds have perished.  That has bored a deep hole in the pocket of poultry farmers nationwide, necessitating a bill of N707.67 million in compensation, to some 276 farmers.  Though the compensation had reportedly commenced, the Federal Government, according to the minister, was still shopping for funds to complete it.
    The government should swiftly do that.  The affected farmers deserve some relief, while efforts are being made to control the bird flu and avert a future epidemic.
    Still, relief in emergencies ought not to be tied to the neck of the government alone. The Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) should, therefore, encourage its members, from the biggest to the smallest players, to take insurance policies as part of routine production costs.
    The Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC) should take the lead in insuring poultry products.  By some provisions of the NAIC Act of 1993, farmers are even entitled to subsidies on premiums, in certain circumstances.  Besides, NAIC was founded to eliminate adhoc funding, by government, in times of agricultural disasters.
    It is not clear what percentage of the corporation’s portfolio, vis-a-vis other agricultural lines, is engaged in poultry.  But bird flu emergencies like these offer NAIC fine opportunities to partner with PAN to impress it on poultry farmers the imperative of insurance.  That way, there would be a structured system of compensating for wastes, outside the government coffers.
    Accidents and emergencies cannot totally be prevented.  The last bout of nationwide bird flu in Nigeria was from 2006 to 2008.  In 2014, outbreaks occurred in Kano and Lagos, but were curtailed before flaring into a national crisis.  Now, in 2017, 26 states — and still counting? — are at risk.  There must therefore be a sound national response strategy, to nip such emergencies, the moment they occur.
    That is why the National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI), Vom, Plateau State, must always boast a sound and prompt diagnostic regime, at the slightest hint of trouble.  It should also be prompt with the release of bird disease containment materials, while the Federal Government, with the state governments, must always have, at the ready, a vibrant national emergency response plan, against avian influenza.
    At the end of it all, however, the golden counsel is wisest: prevention is better than cure.
    Chief Ogbeh, in his briefing, rued some farmers’ non-compliance with on-farm quarantine and movement restrictions, others’ violation of bio-safety measures on the altar of convenience, clustering of poultry farmers with nary adherence to basic hygienic codes, filthy practices of egg and manure merchants and some poultry farmers’ reluctance to  register with state directors of veterinary services, for monitoring and regulation.
    This is a classic example of a few imperiling the many.  Agricultural authorities nationwide should ensure such errant behaviours are no longer tolerated.
    It is the proverbial stitch in time that saves nine.

  • Bird flu: Kano to disinfect markets, poultry farms

    The Kano State government plans to disinfect all poultry farms and markets as part of measures to curb the spread of the recent outbreak of bird flu in the state, the Director, Veterinary services in the state Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dr. Shehu Bawa, has said.

    Bawa told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday that already, the state government had approved money for the department to procure more disinfectants.

    He said as soon as the disinfectants arrived, the department would use it to disinfect all poultry and market premises to check the spread of the disease.

    “We are lucky since the disease resurfaced about one month ago, only two farms in Kumbotso local government area were infected with the disease,” he said.

    The director said the department had also stepped up surveillance in all markets with a view to preventing people from selling infected birds to unsuspecting members of the public.

    On compensation, Bawa said the Federal Government had promised to pay all those farmers affected by the disease in 2014/2015 and 2015 /2016.

    He said the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh, made the promise during a meeting he held with 36 commissioners of Agriculture and Directors of Veterinary services in Abuja this week.

    He disclosed that modalities were also being worked out for payment to affected farmers in future.