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.”