The Federal government says the highly transmittable Avian Influenza
viral disease also known as Bird flu has spread to five more states
asides Lagos and Kaduna where the first cases were recorded in Nigeria.
The states with the latest cases of the disease in poultry animals include Ogun, Delta, Rivers, Edo and Plateau states.
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 H5N 1, 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 percent) 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 percent ) mortality
reported , while 31, 195 and 3, 347 ( 11% ) mortality has been reported
in Lagos State.
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