The Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development,
Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, yesterday announced that
avian influenza, also known as bird flu, has hit the
nation’s agriculture sector with thousands of dead
birds recorded already.
Adesina, however, clarified that the development
has not got to crisis level and that his ministry was
doing its best to control it effectively.
While addressing the media on the situation, he
indicated that the outbreak has “not hit epidemic
level, and there is no cause for alarm because al­
though we know that bird flu can be transmitted to
human beings, we have not had such problem.”
On the crisis level, the minister said: “We are not in
a state of any epidemic. Seven states so far have
reported cases of the bird flu. They include Kano,
Lagos, Ogun, Delta, Rivers, Edo and Plateau states.
To date, 21 commercial farms, nine live bird
markets and private zoos have been affected in the
seven states.”
He explained that as at yesterday, a total of 140,390
birds had been infected by bird flu, with 22,573 or 16
per cent mortality recorded.
According to the minister, Kano is the most affected
of the states where the index case was found.
“In that state, 103,445 cases have been reported as
exposed to the influenza, and 15,963 of them dead.
The areas of the state involved are Gwale,
Kumbotso, Tofa, Ungogo and Gaya local
government areas.”
He stated that in the affected states, there had been
quick and various levels of interventions, including
depopulation, decontamination and quarantine
currently ongoing.
He assured that: “Our ministry 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 the joint teams
of the federal and states staff in these areas, the
reported cases in Rivers and Delta states are being
monitored.”
He also told Nigerians not to shy away from eating
poultry products, as there are no infections in them.
“Nigeria has the largest domestic poultry
production in Africa with South Africa as second
largest. So, the reason I made it a duty to address
Nigerians on this is because if there is any effect on
the sector through boycott informed by fear and the
lack of information, that would not be a good
development for the economy and agriculture.
“I want to clarify that the spread of avian influenza
is essentially through contact between the birds
and people that attend to them. Immediately the
meat is cooked, the infection dies.


source: http://sunnewsonline.com/new/?p=101332