Bird Flu: Kano Decimates 340, 000 Birds

IN the wake of lingering bird flu virus, the Kano State government has so far destroyed over 340, 000 birds from 49 farms in the last two months. The State’s Director, Veterinary Services, in the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dr Shehu Bawa disclosed this during an interactive session with media men at his office in Kano.

“We have killed over 340, 000 birds since the disease resurfaced in the state on Dec. 21, 2015.
The birds were destroyed in 49 poultry farms across the state,” Bawa said.

Meanwhile, additional 10 samples, according to Bawa, are currently at the National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI) Jos, awaiting confirmation.

“Inadequate personal protective equipment (PPE) is hindering the activities of the Department in the fight against the disease; it’s used by health personnel to go into affected farms to kill infected birds. It is against the WHO standard to kill the infected birds without wearing the PPE and lack of the equipment is seriously affecting the operation of the Department as the equipment is not available even in the markets across the country,” he lamented.

Bawa further called on the federal government to come to the rescue of the state by providing the needed drugs and facilities to check the spread of the disease.
“We are commending Jigawa and Zamfara states for assisting Kano State with the Personal Protective Equipment,” he noted.