Avian Flu is now officially in Africa. On Wednesday the Nigerian Authorities officially notified the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) of the occurrence of an outbreak of avian flu, type H5N1, in poultry in the country, reported the OIE. More than 44 thousand chickens have been killed in an attempt to control the bird flu outbreak in Nigeria. The outbreak began with bird deaths on Jan. 10 but was not reported until Wednesday - nearly a month later - giving the virus plentiful opportunities to spread unchecked in the interim.
Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, is home to about 140 million poultry.
Agencies have been tracking rumors of bird deaths in Nigeria for several weeks and are investigating similar rumors in a handful of other African nations, including Mali, Egypt, Malawi and Libya.
The OIE/FAO reference laboratory for Avian Influenza in Padova (Italy) has tested the Nigerian strain and today described the virus as "a highly pathogenic H5N1".
The recent Turkish contaminations and the series of deaths that occurred due to the H5N1 virus, obliged the international community to find a rapid solution to stem the propagation of the strain. Last month, 33 countries and multilateral institutions met in Beijing and pledged USD 1.9 billion to fight the disease. The money is meat to pay veterinary and medical surveillance.
Till now, studies showed that there was no proven human-to-human contamination although some scientists feel that it may have taken place in at least one or two cases in Vietnam and Indonesia.
As for the 336 egrets that (see out previous posts below) were found dead in Daït Roumi Lake in Khemisset province and Daït Aoua Lake, the results of the analysis show no sign of the disease.
Even though Morocco is still free from the flu, authorities have drawn up a preventive plan that includes a strategic stock of vaccines, means of protection (masks, protective suits, gloves etc.), disinfectants, and ambulances.
LINKS:
Moroccan Egret Deaths: unlikelihood of bird flu
Avian Flu: How Prepared is Morocco?
Tags: Morocco, Fes, Maghreb, news
No comments:
Post a Comment