The Kebbi State Epidemiology Operation Centre (EOC), at the weekend, alerted the public about the outbreak of avian influenza (bird flu) in the state.
The Director of Veterinary Services of EOC, Dr Alheri Ibrahim Senchi, briefed journalists in the Amanawa area in Kalgo LGA where the case of the highly pathogenic disease was recorded on a poultry farm.
Dr Senchi was in the company of the Director of Public Health of EOC, Abubakar Bagudu, with the state’s “One Health Team” comprising the Ministries of Animal Health, Environment, Health, Information, WHO and other partners. He said the outbreak of the H5N1 virus that killed all the peacocks on the farm where it was first recorded portended danger to human health and might lead to deaths. Dr Senchi said measures had been taken to curtail the H5N1 virus as quickly as possible to see that it did not escalate. He further said, “Some peacocks were reported to have been ill and the pattern of their mortality became worrisome to us.
“We sent a team of doctors for preliminary investigation and sent samples to the veterinary diagnostic laboratory in Jos. When it was analysed, it was positive for the highly pathogenic virus (H5N1).”
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On his part, the Director of Public Health, Bagudu, said EOC had been activated and that the health team was already meeting with other partners like the WHO to ensure that the disease did not spread beyond the point it was discovered in the state.
He said, “We came up with a mitigation plan to take the list of people intermingling with animals and monitor them for 14 days to see if they will develop any symptoms.
“This is to ensure it does not escalate to the human circle.”
