Bird flu returns to Nigeria farms

[Laidback Al]

Bird flu returns to Nigeria farms

New cases of bird flu have been recorded on two farms in north-western Nigeria, officials say, a year after the disease was first found there.
Katsina State health commissioner Ali Hussaini told the BBC that local health officials had culled 1,070 chickens.
Some of the infected birds were found in a backyard farm in Katsina town.
There are fears that two other farms, one owned by the chairman of Nigeria's poultry farmers' association, may also be infected.
"We've heard it, but we are not yet sure. Our surveillance team is yet to give us the report of their visit to the affected farms," said Ayokanmi Osinlu, spokesman for Nigeria's health minister.
There have been no human victims in Africa's most populous country since the deadly H5N1 strain was first recorded early last year.
The World Health Organisation says about 157 people have died of H5N1 bird flu since its outbreak in December 2003 - most of them in South-East Asia The UN had expressed concerns about the Nigerian government response to the disease, as poultry are still being moved around by local farmers despite an official quarantine and promised compensation for infected birds.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6252365.stm

[Laidback Al]

Bird flu resurfaces in Katsina state

Katsina, Jan. 10, 2007 (NAN) Avian flu is suspected to have killed a total of 1,750 chickens in Katsina metropolis and Batagarawa village near the state capital following an outbreak of the disease last week. The state Chairman of the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Alhaji Kabir Faskari, made this known in today in Katsina. He said surveillance was being mounted in other poultry farms in the state in order to report any suspected case of the disease. Faskari said the disease was discovered by the committee on bird flu in a poultry farm belonging to one Aliyu Isyaku, in the metropolis and another farm in Batagarawa council area. He stated that the committee had also taken some samples from the affected farms which had since been sent to Vom in Plateau state for test. Flu -- 2 He said so far 1000 chicks and 750 chicks were destroyed at the affected farms in Katsina and Batagarawa respectively. The chairman added that all the affected farms had been disinfected to avoid further spread of the disease. Faskari further stated that members of the association had been alerted on the resurfacing of the disease. The state Commissioner for Agriculture, Alhaji Ali Hussaini, confirmed the outbreak of avian flu in the state. Husssaini said the state government was taking all necessary precautionary measures to ensure the control of the disease in the state. (NAN) ARL/ACN/EU

http://www.upi.com/AfricaMonitoring/...-669800-4936-r

[Dutchy]

New suspected case of bird flu reported in northern Nigeria

KANO, Nigeria (AFP) - A suspected fresh outbreak of avian influenza has been reported in northern Nigeria's Katsina state with over 5,000 birds infected, the agriculture commissioner has said.

"We have detected an outbreak in three poultry farms in and around the state capital in the past week. We strongly suspect it to be bird flu," Ali Hussein Dutsin-Ma told AFP Friday.

"All the symptoms found on the birds suggest avian flu and we don't have to wait for laboratory confirmation to know what we are dealing with", he said.

Dutsin-Ma said the symptoms were detected on a small farm in the farming village of Batagarawa outside Katsina on January 2 while two more farms showed signs of infection in the metropolis a week later.

"A total of 5,000 infected chickens and pigeons from the three farms have been culled and the farms disinfected in our efforts to contain the spread," he said.

"All the workers on the poultry farms have undergone medical checks to ensure they do not contract the virus and they are being closely monitored in case they develop any symptoms to suggest avian flu infection", he added.

The commissioner said samples of the infected birds had been taken to the National Veterinary Research Institute in the central city of Jos for laboratory test.

The deadly strain of avian influenza was first detected on a farm in Jaji, outside the nearby northern city of Kaduna, in February 2006 where it spread to other parts of the country and Africa.

More than 450,000 chickens have already been slaughtered in Nigeria, mainly in the north, but no human case has so far been reported.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070112...u_070112112915

[Dutchy]

Bird flu spreads to new state in northern Nigeria

12 Jan 2007 12:18:00 GMT

ADIYA FARM, Nigeria, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Veterinary officials in white protective suits and masks culled thousands of chickens at a farm in the far northwestern Nigerian state of Sokoto after bird flu was detected there for the first time.

The detection of the deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza in Sokoto means the disease is or has been present in 17 of Nigeria's 36 states and in the Federal Capital Territory.

The officials sprayed chemicals to kill more than 21,000 chickens at Adiya farm, about 10 miles (16 km) from the state capital, while labourers wearing no protective equipment dug a pit to bury the birds.

The first African country to be hit by bird flu, Nigeria has not reported any human cases of the disease although experts warn surveillance may not be completely effective and cases may have gone undetected.

"There was a lot of movement of people and poultry over the Christmas, New Year and Eid celebrations and that is what has caused this new outbreak," said Junaidu Maina, head of Nigeria's livestock department.

"We are on high alert because of that and we are also conducting active surveillance in the wetlands because of the presence of migrating birds."

Nigeria is one of three countries regarded by experts as the weakest areas in the global attempt to stem infections among birds and head off a potentially devastating human flu pandemic.

The disease was first discovered a year ago in the northern state of Kaduna and it spread rapidly to most parts of the country in the first week despite culling and quarantines.

The government announced soon after the initial outbreak that it would compensate farmers for culled birds, but the scheme appeared to get bogged down in red tape and newspapers have published numerous reports of farmers who were never paid.

Experts fear this may have discouraged farmers from reporting bird deaths and contributed to the spread of the disease.

Maina said the compensation mechanism was now working and all eligible farmers would receive their money by the end of next week.

Millions of Nigerians keep poultry in their backyards, making human-to-bird contact more common and surveillance more difficult. The majority of Nigeria's 140 million people live below the poverty line and cannot afford the luxury of rejecting sick or dead birds.

This has raised concern among experts that Africa's most populous nation is at risk of becoming a permanent host to the virus.

The H5N1 strain has killed 158 people out of a total of 264 infected since 2003, according to the World Health Organisation. Scientists fear it will mutate so that it can pass easily from human to human.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L12835596.htm

[HenryN]

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/01...ia_Spread.html

[Mingus]

http://www.wkrn.com/nashville/news/a...eria/70968.htm
[January 12, 2007, 10:18 am]
"(AP) New Outbreak of Bird Flu Hits Nigeria"

LAGOS, Nigeria


A new outbreak of H5N1 bird flu has hit Nigeria, and one new state has reported its first cases in birds after months without any known infections in Africa's most-populous nation, officials said Friday.
Sokoto state in Nigeria's far north had its first cases along with a nearby state that reported re-infection, said Junaid Maina, the head of Nigeria's livestock department. The last known infection was in September.
Copyright 2007 by the Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

[MHSC]

Nigeria Investigates New Suspected Cases of Bird Flu
By Gilbert da Costa Abuja 12 January 2007

http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-01-12-voa24.cfm

Nigerian officials are investigating a suspected fresh outbreak of avian influenza in two northern states. Gilbert da Costa reports for VOA from Abuja that thousands of birds have been culled to prevent the virus from spreading.

A Nigerian boy watches birds near the farm in northern Nigeria where Africa's first case of a deadly bird flu strain was discovered

At least one confirmed case of the deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza has been reported in Sokoto state.

In nearby Katsina, at least two suspected cases are being investigated.

Dr. Garba Sharabutu, a veterinarian and president of the Nigerian veterinarian association, who is in Sokoto to help contain an outbreak, says sufficient steps have been taken.
"We have one [case] that has been confirmed in one of the farms here in Sokoto," said Dr. Sharabutu. "Right now, we have moved most of our people there. And, they are actually doing the stamping out, trying to control the disease within the farm. They are really spraying the farm, and they have killed all the birds and buried them properly."
Experts say bird flu has become endemic in Nigeria since it was first detected about a year ago, despite the government's claim the disease has been wiped out.

A number of states have reported suspected cases in the last few months, prompting fears that a major resurgence is inevitable.

Dr. Sharabutu says the authorities have risen to the challenge this time, and appear keen to check the possible spread of the virus.
"The federal [government] might moved to Sokoto," added Dr. Sharabutu. "They are there, trying to control things. The state governor is doing his best. Yesterday, we had sensitization workshop in Sokoto. So, with these renewed efforts, I am definitely sure something may come out of it."
More than 450,000 infected chickens have been slaughtered in Nigeria since last year, but no human case has so far been reported.

[Dutchy]

Nigeria: Bird Flu Re-Emerges, Culling Underway

IRIN

January 12, 2007
Posted to the web January 12, 2007

Abuja

Nigerian veterinary teams were killing thousands of birds in two northern Nigerian states on Friday to halt the spread of fresh cases of the deadly H5N1 virus.

Nigeria was the first West African country to register bird flu when the disease jumped from Asia to Africa last year. Government veterinary teams slaughtered more than 900,000 birds in 2005, according to Nigeria's Agriculture Ministry. But sporadic outbreaks continued, with the last case reported in September in a suburb of Nigeria's largest city Lagos.


Junaid Maina, Nigeria's national director of livestock, said new cases of the virus were confirmed this week in northwestern Sokoto and nearby in Katsina state, 800 kilometres northeast of Abuja. "Our teams are out there now culling birds," Maina said.

Sokoto's cases are the first ever in the state, while Katsina is among 14 of Nigeria's 36 states struck last year. More than 18,000 birds have been culled in the two states since the beginning of the week, with more than 15,000 killed in Sokoto alone, an official involved in the operation told IRIN.

Most of the infections were in commercial poultry farms as supposed to family smallholdings, and compensation is being paid immediately to the farmers, the official said. "Any farm with any sign that looks like avian influenza, we simply depopulate and pay compensation," the official said.

Funding has been provided under a scheme supported by the World Bank for immediate compensation of farmers whose birds have been killed by the veterinary teams.

Scientists fear the deadly H5N1 strain, which mainly affects birds but has been responsible for over 100 human deaths, could mutate into a strain transmittable between humans and spark a global pandemic.

More than 600 Nigerian animal health officials have been trained under a scheme funded by the European Union and the Food and Agriculture Organisation to undertake a nationwide surveillance to track bird flu. The experts will be deployed nationwide later in January, agriculture officials said.

[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations ]

http://allafrica.com/stories/200701120674.html

[Dutchy]

Bird Flu kills 10,000 chickens in Sokoto

Sokoto, Jan.13, 2006 (NAN) An outbreak of bird flu has claimed the lives not less than 10,000 chicken (layers) at Sarikin Ogogobiri farms on Bodinga road in Sokoto.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the dead chickens were burnt on Friday evening and buried in a ditch behind the farm. The operation was carried by a combined team of veterinary experts from the State Ministry of Forestry and Animal Health and the Sokoto office of the Federal Livestock Department.

Flu - 2 The State Commissioner for Forestry and Animal Health, Abdulkadir Junaidu, told NAN that the entire farm would be disinfected while the owner, Alhaji Abdulahi Abiya, would be compensated by the federal government.

He said minor cases of the disease had also been recorded in some parts of Kebbe local government of the state. "For now, we are collaborating with the federal government to contain the situation and avoid further damage,'' Abiyah said. (

http://www.upi.com/AfricaMonitoring/...-563820-1913-r

[Dutchy]

Snip from ProMedmail:

According to a 2006 phylogenetic analysis (see Mod.CP's commentary in
archived 20060707.1864), the HPAI H5N1 virus strains in northern
Nigeria and in Lagos state belong to 3 distinct genetic lineages and
were therefore probably introduced independently. - Mod.AS]

http://www.promedmail.org/pls/promed..._ID:1000,35879

[MHSC]

More suspected bird flu reported in northern Nigeria

11 minutes ago

Suspected avian influenza was recorded in northern Nigeria's Sokoto State, a day after the disease reportedly infected 5,000 birds in nearby Kastina state, a senior official said.


Forestry and Animal Health Commissioner Abdulkadir Junaidu said a disease suspected to be bird flu had killed at least 7,000 chickens on a farm in Kebe district 10 kilometres (six miles) outside the state capital.


"The rate at which the birds are dying is unusual and alarming, which is why we are worried that it could be bird flu outbreak", Junaidu said.


"So far 7,000 chickens have died on the affected farm and we have started depopulating the remaining 16,000 chickens on the farm and all other birds on backyard poultry plots in the surrounding villages", he added.


Junaidu said movement of chickens in and out of the affected area has been banned to avoid further spread while samples of the infected chickens had been taken for laboratory test.


The suspected outbreak came barely 24 hours after a similar case was reported in nearby Kastina state on Friday.


The deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza was first detected on a farm in Jaji, outside the northern city of Kaduna, in February 2006, from where it spread to other parts of the country and the region.


More than 450,000 chickens have already been slaughtered in Nigeria, mainly in the north, but no human case has so far been reported.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070113...u_070113201410

[MHSC]

More Suspected Bird Flu Outbreak In Northern Nigeria (RTTNews) - Sources said on Saturday that more suspected avian influenza cases were reported from Sokoto State of northern Nigeria, just a day after the disease reportedly infecting 5,000 birds in nearby Kastina state. Citing officials, AP reported that a disease suspected to be bird flu killed at least 7,000 chickens in Kebe district, 10 kilometres outside the state capital. "The rate at which the birds are dying is unusual and alarming, which is why we are worried that it could be bird flu outbreak", Forestry and Animal Health Commissioner Abdulkadir Junaidu said. The authorities have begun depopulating the remaining chickens on the infected farm and all other birds on backyard poultry plots in the surrounding villages. The official also stated that samples of the infected chickens have been taken for test and the movement of chickens in and out of the affected area has been banned to avoid further spread. It was in February 2006 that the outbreak of the deadly H5N1 avian influenza was first detected on a farm in Jaji, outside the northern city of Kaduna. More than 450,000 chickens have already been slaughtered in Nigeria, mainly in the north, but no human case has so far been reported, AP said. Meanwhile, Japan reportedly said on Saturday that it has confirmed bird flu influenza at a poultry farm in the southwest of the country. Some 3,800 chicken have died on the farm since Wednesday and no human infections were reported. http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20070114\ACQRTT200701140238RT TRADERUSEQUITY_0008.htm&selected=9999&selecteddisplaysymbol=9999&StoryTargetFrame=_top&mkt=WORLD&chk=unchecked&lang=&link=&headlinereturnpage=http://www.international.nasd