Please tell me about bird flu.  What can we do to prevent it coming here?

Update: Bird flu has been discovered in Nigeria!

hola:

Please tell me about bird flu. What can we do to prevent it coming here?

To be honest not much as it is currently been spread by migratory birds. From the initial outbreak in Asia it has now reached Europe and it should soon get to Africa.

At the moment the bird flu virus can only be transmitted from birds to human, however there has been isolated cases of it been transmitted from person to person. The main concern at the moment is that the virus may mutate into a more deadly type that transmits from human to human. A similar outbreak in 1918 killed millions of people.

You can read more about it at Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_flu

In other words, we're sitting ducks for a bird flu outbreak. Oh dear.

Hi everybody,something funny happened last month in my house.On two occasions,people gave us chickens as a gift,as we killed them on the 2 different occasions,they had decayed from inside(yuck).It was soooo disgusting.Please,could it be bird flu?

from the WHO (World Health organisation) website
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/avian_faqs/en/#poultry

Is it safe to eat poultry and poultry products?

Yes, though certain precautions should be followed in countries currently experiencing outbreaks. In areas free of the disease, poultry and poultry products can be prepared and consumed as usual (following good hygienic practices and proper cooking), with no fear of acquiring infection with the H5N1 virus.

In areas experiencing outbreaks, poultry and poultry products can also be safely consumed provided these items are properly cooked and properly handled during food preparation. The H5N1 virus is sensitive to heat. Normal temperatures used for cooking (70oC in all parts of the food) will kill the virus. Consumers need to be sure that all parts of the poultry are fully cooked (no “pink” parts) and that eggs, too, are properly cooked (no “runny” yolks).

Consumers should also be aware of the risk of cross-contamination. Juices from raw poultry and poultry products should never be allowed, during food preparation, to touch or mix with items eaten raw. When handling raw poultry or raw poultry products, persons involved in food preparation should wash their hands thoroughly and clean and disinfect surfaces in contact with the poultry products Soap and hot water are sufficient for this purpose.

In areas experiencing outbreaks in poultry, raw eggs should not be used in foods that will not be further heat-treated as, for example by cooking or baking.

Avian influenza is not transmitted through cooked food. To date, no evidence indicates that anyone has become infected following the consumption of properly cooked poultry or poultry products, even when these foods were contaminated with the H5N1 virus.

Avian influenza frequently asked questions
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/avian_faqs/en/

well recently i heard itz already in nigeria
news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20051123/hl_afp/healthflunigeria_051123185522

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4692916.stm

This is worrying!

its now official Bird Flu is now in Nigeria

The deadly strain of bird flu has been found in poultry in northern Nigeria, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) has said in statement.
The Paris-based organisation said this was the first time the disease had been detected in Africa.
The body said it was the "highly pathogenic" strain of the H5N1 bird flu virus, which can kill humans.
It was detected on a farm in the northern state of Kaduna, where a team of experts have been sent.

full story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4692916.stm

There are reports of an outbreak of H5N1 Avian flu in chickens in the North of Nigeria and possibly in the Federal Territory. It is important to put the human risk into perspective. H5N1 is a disease of poultry, and it's spread to Africa was inevitable as it is known to be carried by migrating birds from areas that are already infected. The human form of disease caused by H5N1 has occurred in a small percentage of poultry handlers who have significant contact with infected chickens or to inhalation or ingestion of their infected faeces. There is no evidence of a public health risk from eating chicken meat, other poultry or their eggs. They are safe to eat. The simple health advice to reduce any negligible risk to an absolutely insignificant risk is:

1. Observe good hygiene practice and wash hands after touching chickens or other live poultry

2. Ensure chicken or other poultry is cooked properly. A temperature of 70'C thoroughly kills the virus and is easily obtained in properly cooked chicken.

3. Do not eat "pink" chicken, or if there is bleeding on cutting the meat

4. Cook eggs properly after washing them

5. Wash hands before and after touching raw meat, eggs or other foodstuffs

6. Ensure you do not cross contaminate other foods with raw chicken or other meats

I was listening 2 my radio on wednesday 8th, When i heard that the killer and much dreaded H5N1 virus a.k.a bird flu was discovered at the nothern part of Nigeria. i was devastated when i heard it. i began 2 wonder who brought it. Can any disease arise without wanting 2 sample naija. Details will come up as things go on. i tire ooo

That thread was talking bout preventing the flu from entering nigeria. I said i heard over the radio that "THE FLU HAS BEEN DISCOVERED IN NORTHERN NIGERIA"!!!

It was discovered in Kaduna to be precise. The first case in africa. Now this is very bad news for poultry business. Beginning from OTTA FARM.

I think the government was well aware of the possibility of an outbreak here. A lot of migratory birds from Europe stop over in Northern Nigeria.
If anything our politicians understand the politics of self preservation so i'm sure the fact that Obj owns one of the largest poultry farms in Nigeria, will ensure a robust response from the Health authorities.

I was astonished to hear of such in naija.... May God protect us 4rm evil.

Thank God Mr. President has a lot at stake here, this will make them (govt) not to be insensitive to this outbreak.

Was on the phone to a friend of mine in Abuja who hadnt even heard the news! Painfully scary this is. To think that this has had devastating consequences in Turkey only recently is quite sad. Now to our beloved Africa - government officials have got to create some immediate awareness if the strain's been detected in that area. The reason why the turkish kids died was two-fold - IGNORANCE and POVERTY. And needless to say these are the two deadliest factors that govern our continent reducing it and it's people to simply 'existing heads'. To guarantee the safety of our peoples and PREVENT any further damage - someone's (who knows what they're about) has got to get there ASAP, and get to work ASAP, sensitising and providing basic alternative nutritional and livelihood needs for these people. (if they are to bear in mind that the trading in chickens is a means of existence for the locals and consequently will be a possible and inevitable method for the mass-spread of the strain within them, if any!)

Does this mean we will have to wait until the bird flu reaches Otta? Just kidding!

Going by the confirmed news of the outbreak of bird flu in Nigeria, the FG ahs air-marked the sum N2 billion as initial funds to be given out as compensation to affected farmers on the basis of N250 per bird in order to conserve their capital.

Urgent steps should be taken as to deal with it before it spreads into other states in the country.

There's a great deal of money set aside by the WHO for dealing with the bird flu. For the first time in it's history, the WHO received twice as much as it had asked for fror dealing with the bird flu. I don't think the reaction is going to cost the Nigerian government all that much in the end. If it mutates and jumps species barriers, the outcome can be as devastating a AIDS, if not more.

please stay off chicken bird flu now in NIGERIA
http://www.sky.com/skynews/worldnews

please stay off chicken, brd flu is now in nigeria.
read more on

http://www.sky.com/skynews/worldnews

all i have to say is beware of chicken..Dont take because of its deliciousness to kill yourself

i just hope they take the right steaps and not just be holding meeting every time it will not be funny if that bird flu gets to a place like lagos...................

well,for me,no more chicken!!!!!!

At last the dreaded Avian(bird) flu has hit the shores of Nigeria. What should the government do to prevent it from reaching a crisis level? As individuals, what can we do to prevent ourselves from contacting the disease.

I need your opinion!

Nigeria Blames Smugglers for Outbreak of Avian Flu (Update4)

Feb. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Nigeria blamed smugglers for avian- flu infections that have spread to at least four bird farms, as authorities in Greece and Bulgaria probe possible outbreaks of the lethal H5N1 virus strain.

The ``activities of illegal importers and smugglers of pets and birds'' brought the virus to Nigeria, Agriculture Minister Adamu Bello said yesterday. The World Organization for Animal Health said bird migration most likely caused the infection, which killed 40,000 fowl in an outbreak that began a month ago.

``The virus was probably introduced by migratory birds,'' Bernard Vallat, the group's director general, said yesterday in an interview. ``That's our working hypothesis.''

Dead swans discovered in Greece and Bulgaria were infected with an H5 subtype of the avian influenza virus, government officials said yesterday. Tests are under way to determine whether it is the same strain that has killed birds in more than 20 countries and infected at least 166 people. A confirmed H5N1 infection in Greece would be the first in the European Union.

The disease in birds creates more opportunity for human infection and increases the risk of the virus changing into a form that is more contagious to people. Such a virus may touch off a pandemic similar to the one that killed as many as 50 million people in 1918.

In Azerbaijan, samples from dead wild birds tested positive for the H5N1 strain in a London laboratory, Reuters reported, citing a spokesman for the country's Health Ministry.

Indonesian Fatality

In Indonesia, a 22-year-old woman from Bekasi, east of Jakarta, died yesterday and a 27-year-old woman from the same area is in a critical condition, said Ilham Patu, a doctor at Sulianti Saroso, the hospital where both were treated. Local tests showed the women were infected with the virus and confirmatory tests from a World Health Organization laboratory are pending, he said.

Because the disease wasn't immediately contained in Nigeria, it is probable that the virus will be found in other areas of the country and beyond its borders, according to Vallat of the World Organization for Animal Health.

While Nigerian officials have confirmed infections on four farms, 30 or more may be affected, Agence France-Presse reported, citing the head of a local poultry farmers' group.

All birds suspected of having the disease in Nigeria will be killed and the government has set aside 1.5 billion naira ($12 million) compensation to affected farmers. Payments will be made at the rate of 250 naira per bird, Bello said in a statement on the Nigerian government's Web site.

Test Report

A report from a World Organization for Animal Health laboratory in Padova, Italy, of genetic analysis of viral samples taken from infected birds is scheduled to be released later today, helping scientists trace the cause of infection.

Outbreaks in Turkey, killing four people since the beginning of the year, have illustrated the difficulties of controlling the disease once it gains a foothold. The part of Cyprus controlled by Turkey was struck last month and Iraq and most recently Nigeria have also confirmed the presence of H5N1.

Results of the tests on the swans found in Greece will be ready in two to eight days, Greek Agriculture Minister Evangelos Basiakos said yesterday. Greece last October reported its first suspected bird-flu case; it turned out to be a false alarm.

Health officials in Bulgaria, which is seeking to join the EU next year, said test results may come next week from another swan found infected with H5 a week ago.

That swan, the first known case of H5 in Bulgaria, was found close to the border with Romania, which was hit by an outbreak of the deadly H5N1 strain last year.

The EU has tried to avoid avian influenza outbreaks by banning imports of poultry from infected areas and halting trade in pet birds. The European Commission today will adopt safeguards in the areas where the infected Greek birds were found.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=avCRjvLKHtpU&refer=top_world_news

Can somebody tell me how the bird looks like?

The bird has fangs, moustache and long ears!

tourmanger:


Can somebody tell me how the bird looks like?

fabian:

The bird has fangs, moustache and long ears!

ha!

Anyways... i think it's a poultry food disease. It's not like a bird.

snazzydawn:

well,for me,no more chicken!!!!!!

Easier said than done, I'll like to know how you'll respond on seeing a whole steamed chicked in your front waiting for u to devour.

The virus thing is really recking poultry business in nigeria because of the scare. You remember the indomie scare last two years? People stopped eating indomie.
I just hope this thing will be controlled. Anyway viruses don't survive in heat, to now imagine what microwave will do to them. The people that are supposed to be scared are the farmers and from what I read, the virus is not transfered from person to person.

They have discovered bird flu in Nigeria ,
Do we have to capability to fight it ?

At least we are lucky SARS did not get here