The Nation Newspaper

Tag: bird flu

  • Bird Flu now in 11 states – FG

    Bird Flu now in 11 states – FG

    The Federal Government on Wednesday confirmed the presence of H5N1 Avian Influenza virus also known as bird flu in four other states apart from the seven states earlier reported.
    The additional states include – Oyo, Jigawa, Gombe and Imo.

    The government said that the total number of birds 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.

    The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina , spoke in Abuja during a meeting with Commissioners of Agriculture in the 36 states.

    Dr. Adesina also announced a compensation of N145.145million to 39 farmers in 11 affected states where depopulation has been carried out by the government.

    The states are – Kano, Lagos, Ogun, Rivers, Delta, Edo, Plateau, Gombe, Imo, Oyo, and Jigawa.

    He said that N1, 450 will be paid per bird in the farms that have been depopulated.

    According to the minister, the compensation is to ensure that farmers do not lose their businesses.

    He said: “We will do everything to ensure that we protect our poultry industry from this particular situation. So I want to announce here, that effective from today, the compensation of a total amount of N145.145 million will be paid to 39 affected farmers all across the 11 states. And those 11 states are Kano, Lagos, Ogun, Rivers, Delta, Edo, Plateau, Gombe, Imo, Oyo, and Jigawa.”

     

  • Bird flu under control, says poultry association

    The Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) has said avian influenza, popularly known as bird flu, is under control.

    The disease, which broke out in Kano and Lagos, two weeks ago, has been found to Ogun, Rivers, Edo, Delta and Plateau.

    PAN president, Dr Ayoola Oduntan, said the Federal Government and the association were working to curtail the disease.

    Oduntan, who spoke in Lagos, said the emergency response has been tremendous, adding that the economic losses would be limited.

    He said the outbreak first occurred in backyard farms in two rural areas in the two states.

    Oduntan said the response will prevent the repeat of 2006 experience, which caused a lot of panic and uproar among the people and resulting in loss of money.

    “These cases also occur in advanced countries such as United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Egypt but are treated primarily as diseases of chicken,” PAN president said.

    Commercial poultry farmers, Oduntan said, have been managing their bio-security effectively with the highest level of health to prevent the disease.

    He said bid flu is also being tracked in  other states, adding that there is no confirmation yet on them.

    Oduntan said there is a similar disease which poultry farmers handle on a daily basis known as Newcastle. This, he said, has similar symptoms as avian influenza (bird flu).

    Oduntan said the disease can be recognised if a chicken’s feather is ruffled or when it produced soft-shelled eggs.

    Also, when a chicken is depressed and shows droopiness or when there is sudden drop in egg production and loss of appetite.

    Others are cyanosis (purplish-blue coloring) of wattles and comb, edema and swelling of head, eyelids, comb, wattles, and hocks.

    They also show green diarrhea, blood-tinged discharge from nostrils, incoordination, including loss of ability to walk and stand and pin-point hemorrhages (most easily seen on the feet and shanks). Respiratory distress, increased death losses in a flock, sudden death and nasal discharges are other symptoms.

    “Of the 1500 birds in the Kano farm about 75 per cent was affected. The figure is much less in the Lagos farm,” he said.

    The Federal Government said the outbreak has not become an epidemic yet.

    It said over 140,000 birds were affected in Ogun, Delta and Rivers, adding that 22,173 (15 per cent) were dead.

  • Bird flu hits more states

    Bird flu hits more states

    Five more states have got the H5N1 virus bird flu, the Federal Government said yesterday.

    Lagos and Kano announced the outbreak last week.

    The states are: Ogun, Delta, Rivers, Edo and Plateau.

    The government said over140,000 birds were affected in Ogun, Delta and Cross River.

    It, however, promised that the disease has not become an epidemic as everything is being done to curtail its spread.

     Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Dr. Akinwumi Adesina yesterday said in Abuja that although the reported cases were due to H5N1, the biotype was not immediately discovered.

     Adesina said: “We are not in a state of any epidemic. Seven states have so far reported cases of the bird flu: Kano, Lagos, Ogun, Delta and Rivers, Edo and Plateau states. The most affected state has been Kano, where the initial case of the bird flu was found.”

    In all of these states, different levels of interventions, including depopulation, decontamination and quarantine, are currently ongoing.”

     The minister said that 140, 390 birds had been associated with bird flu exposures, with 22,173 (15%) mortality recorded so far.

    He also said about 103,445 birds have reportedly been exposed to the infection in Kano State, with 15,963 (15%) mortality reported. 31,195 and 3,347 (11%) mortality has been reported in Lagos state.

    According to Adesina, 15 commercial farms and nine live bird markets have been affected in the five states.

    He said that he has directed a nation-wide comprehensive surveillance, quarantine, depopulation and decontamination of all affected poultry farms and areas in other to curtail the spread.

     “I can assure you that Nigeria is managing the recent outbreak with strong determination, purposefulness and aggressiveness.

    “We have put in place a number of measures to contain the recent outbreak, namely: Quarantine of infected premises and restriction of movement of poultry and poultry products into and out of areas around infected premises.

     “The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is spearheading a rapid response system in close collaboration with the state governments’ ministries of Agriculture. At the moment, we have been able to contain the disease in Kano and Lagos states by joint teams of federal and states’ staff in these areas. The reported cases in Delta and Rivers states are being monitored.

    “I wish to assure Nigerians that Nigeria will successfully control the bird flu outbreak. We have successfully controlled it in the past and have activated all the necessary protocols and measures to ensure successful control this time as well,” Adesina added.

    The Lagos State Government said it had begun the depopulation of poultry farms to contain the spread of the disease.

    Commissioner for Agriculture Mr. Gbolahan Lawal, said over 2000 birds affected had been depopulated.

    He said: “Today, we also visited the farm` for re-inspection with our team of veterinary doctors and the farm has been quarantined.”

    He urged farmers to join cooperative societies as this will enable them access soft loans and other benefits from the government.

    Lawal said  there are so many benefits for farmers if they are members of  cooperative societies. He cited the recent empowerment, which was held in the four redemption centres  at Ikorodu, Epe, Badagry and Agege, where various cooperatives were given inputs depending on the enterprise.

    Rivers State Commissioner for Agriculture Emma Chindah said in spite of the outbreak of Avian Influenza, no human infection had been recorded. Hundreds of birds, he said, have been destroyed.

    The birds were from a private poultry farm in Port Harcourt and were destroyed after a laboratory test outside the state confirmed positive symptoms of Avian Influenza.

    Chindah said the privately-owned poultry farm, where the virus manifested, had been quarantined and decontaminated.

    The commissioner said: “Samples that were taken from a private poultry farm for laboratory test outside Port Harcourt turned out positive to the Bird Flu virus. To forestall the virus from spreading, we have destroyed hundreds of birds. The poultry farm has also been quarantined and decontaminated.

    “We have no record of any human infection. There is no need for people to panic, because the Rivers State Government has taken appropriate measures to contain its spread.

    “We advise that members of the public who want to eat animals and eggs should thoroughly boil them before they are eaten.”

  • Bird flu now in seven states – FG

    The Federal Government on Wednesday confirmed the discovery of the H5N1 virus bird flu in five other states apart from the ones in Lagos and Kano.

    The additional states are – Ogun, Delta, Rivers, Edo and Plateau.

    The government, while stating that over 140,000 birds were affected in different poultry farms, said cases of Bird Flu (avian influenza) have been unravelled on some poultry farms in Ogun, Delta and Cross Rivers.

    It, however, assured that the disease has not become an epidemic as everything is being done to curtail its spread.

    The government had last week raised the alarm over a possible public outbreak of the disease in Lagos and Kano States.

    The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, at a media briefing in Abuja, said that although the reported cases were due to H5N1, the biotype was not immediately discovered.

    Adesina said: “We are not in a state of any epidemic. Seven states have so far reported cases of the bird flu – Kano, Lagos, Ogun, Delta and Rivers, Edo and Plateau States. The most affected state has been Kano, where the initial case of the bird flu was found.

    “In all of these states, different levels of interventions, including depopulation, decontamination and quarantine are currently ongoing.”

    The minister said that a total of 140, 390 birds have been associated with bird flu exposures, with 22,173 (15 per cent) mortality recorded so far.

    He also said that about 103,445 birds have reportedly been exposed to the infection in Kano State, with 15,963 (15 per cent) mortality reported, while 31,195 and 3,347 (11%) mortality has been reported in Lagos State.

    According to him, 15 commercial farms and nine Live Bird Markets have been affected in the five states to date.

     

  • Bird Flu: Medical expert warns Nigerians

    Bird Flu: Medical expert warns Nigerians

    A medical practitioner, Dr Kayode Oyebode, on Monday in Osogbo warned Nigerians to guard against an outbreak of Bird Flu.

    Oyebode, who gave the warning in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said cases of the epidemic had been recorded in some states, including Lagos and Kano.

    “To prevent the spread of such epidemic, our people must be careful with the way they eat chickens and other birds to avoid being victims of the deadly disease.

    ‘’Bird Flu is a deadly disease mostly contracted from birds. The disease, which could be contracted from eating chickens, kills as fast as Ebola disease.

    ‘’ People must be enlightened on the danger of eating birds with such a disease and also be informed on ways to prevent an outbreak of such a disease,’’ Oyebode said.

    Oyebode also urged the people of the state to always ensure that they boiled any bird thoroughly before eating to prevent infection.

    He further stressed the need for media awareness, saying there was the need to spread information about the causes of the disease and preventive measures

  • Lagos confirms resurgence of Bird Flu

    Lagos State Government on Friday confirmed the resurgence of Avian Influenza also know as Bird Flu in Badore- Ajah axis of the state.

    The state’s Commissioner for Agriculture and Cooperatives, Mr. Gbolahan Lawal, who confirmed the development while briefing journalists along side his counterpart in

    Health, Mr. Jide Idris, also disclosed that a zoological park based in Victoria Garden City is currently on suspicion list and is being investigated following high mortality of wild birds.

    Lawal said investigations revealed that the Bird Flu came into the state through birds transported from the North during the yuletide season.

    He said government is doing all it can to prevent the spread of the disease.

    Some of the measures taken by the government to prevent spread of the disease include – active disease search by surveillance agents, bio security monitoring and sensitization in poultry farms and markets, disinfection of poultry markets, decontamination of affected farms and sensitization of poultry farmers and traders on insurance policy.

    He added that the ministry is collaborating with the state Ministry of Health, Lagos State chapter of Poultry Association of Nigeria on sensitization of members to complement government efforts.

    “A team of eight technical staff, comprising representatives of the Federal Livestock Department, National Quarantine Service and the National veterinary Research Institute is currently in the state on disease assessment and surveillance.”

    Lawal, however, said emergency active disease search carried out in the last 48 hours has so far indicated no spread of the disease.

  • ‘No bird flu in eggs’

    ‘No bird flu in eggs’

    The Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) yesterday allayed public fear about bird flu in eggs.

    It said there was no bird flu in eggs, promising to recall eggs laid by possibly infected hens to prevent them from being used in processed products in order to protect consumers.

    President, Lagos Chapter of PAN Adedotun Agbojo said as consumers become cautious about the use of eggs, producers would everything to ensure food safety.

    Agbojo, who addressed reporters on the World Egg Day in Lagos, said consumers’ safety remained an issue in the industry, adding that producers were working hard to guarantee food safety.

    Producers, he said, were aware of the dangers of infected poultry products, adding that they have adopted some safety measures which proved effective in controlling disease.

    Agbojo said since the bird flu of 2006, the government and the industry had become more committed to ensuring the safety of poultry products. He said it was important to reassure the public that the local poultry industry has not been affected by the bird flu reported in most countries of the world.

    The country, he said, had not been hit by food scandals in recent years because producers were making efforts to ensure that good ingredients were used to feed birds that produce eggs.

    He said eggs were one of the most versatile foods in the market, adding that eggs have high nutrients, while its protein quality is used as the standard to measure other foods’ protein.

    Egg protein Agbojo said, was a great source of nutrition for growing children to build muscle.

  • Govt urged to prevent outbreak of bird flu

    The Federal government has been advised to strengthen surveillance at the country’s borders to prevent the outbreak of the strain of avian influenza.

    Bird flu strain was first recorded in the country seven years ago in the wake of it outbreak in China where it killed scores.

    A livestock expert, Dr Ademola Adeyemo, urged the government to take health and control measures to ensure that the nation is bird flu-free.

    Adeyemo of the Department of General Administration, Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI), said the government should monitor migratory birds and backyard poultry, enforce surveillance of animal health at borders.

    While responding to the discovery of the A(H7N9) influenza virus in China early this year, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) warned Nigeria and other countries to be cautious in the implementation of their biosecurity measures to prevent the new bird flu strain.

    FAO said that unlike other influenza strains, including highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1, the new virus was hard to detect in poultry because it causes little or no signs of disease in animals.

    “Unlike H5N1, where chickens were dying off on a large scale, with this virus we don’t have a red flag that immediately signals an infection. This means farmers may not be aware that the virus is circulating in their flock. Biosecurity and hygiene measures will help people protect themselves from virus circulating in seemingly healthy birds or other animals,” said FAO Chief Veterinary Officer, Juan Lubroth.

    “With the virus harder to detect, good biosecurity measures become even more essential to reducing the risk of virus transmission to humans and animals. Good biosecurity and hygiene measures implemented by farmers, livestock producers, transporters, market workers and consumers represent the first and most effective way to protect the food chain,” Lubroth said.