Birds Flu hits Kuje, Abuja and Plateau in Nigeria on HWN BIRD FLU UPDATE

The outbreaks of Birds Flu earlier reported in Kano state is now confirmed in farms in Kuje, Abuja and Plateau State affecting over 700,000 birds.

The Director-General, Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) Dr. Onallo Akpa told Daily Trust that the technical team of veterinarians from the FCT Department of Agriculture and the Department of Veterinary Services of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture has been on ground working both day and night to ensuring that the entire population of birds-about 700,000 in the farm is depopulated.

The outbreak in Kuje Abuja, which involves 600,000 to 700,000 birds in one farm, is the worst ever recorded by a single investor in recent years in Nigeria.

 We are trying to ensure that samples are taken from the farms that are 500 metres to one kilometer within the parameter of the affected farm to the Veterinary Research Institute in Vom, Jos, for laboratory test and analysis, he said.

The result are expected today and if it is confirmed that those farms are also affected, that means the entire farms within the parameters of that area in Kuje will be depopulated, Dr. Akpa stated.

The PAN Director-General said so far, only one farm is confirmed to be down with the avian influenza out break adding that the technical team on ground in the farm is trying to depopulate the entire flock of birds.

We are calling on all farmers to be vigilant and use bio-safety, he said.

Dr. Akpa also confirmed outbreak of the disease in three farms in Jos. Although the numbers involves in those three farms is not more than 5,000 to 10,000 birds.

He also stated that a total of 21,000 birds were depopulated in the three farms reported in Kano adding that awareness campaign is ongoing across the length and breadth of the country to contain further spread.

Source: DAILYTRUST, HWN AFRICA.