The dreaded Avian influenza, better known as Bird Flu, is in Nigeria and appears to be spreadingrapidly, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has announced.
The ministry in a February 2, 2021 memo to the 36 State and Abuja Directors of Veterinary Services disclosed that after a two-year absence, the flu appears to be rapidly spreading, having been first spotted at a backyard farm in Kano, surfacing on two commercial farms in the ancient city, and then in Jos, Plateau State.
As part of pro-active measures to contain the devastating effects of the outbreak, the government has warned against inter-state movement of poultry and poultry products from affected states to those not affected.
Other measures include sensitisation of farmers and other value chain operators on basic biosecurity/hygiene measures for prevention and control of the disease
It also called for the activation of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) Emergency Protection Plan (EPP) in states.
The flu, first spotted in China 25 years ago recurred in South East Asia 2003, struck in Nigeria three years later, leading to massive losses by farmers in about 25 States and Abuja.
Further panic set in when the flu transferred to humans.
On its website on 22nd February 2006 on the bird flu situation in Nigeria, the World Health Organisation (WHO) wrote:
The outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza in poultry, confirmed at a commercial farm in Kaduna State on 8 February, has now spread to commercial farms in several other contiguous states. No human cases have been detected to date.
Nigerian officials have confirmed outbreaks at commercial farms in the states of Kano, Plateau, Katsina, and Bauchi, and in the Abuja area. Outbreaks have also been detected at more farms in Kaduna. Outbreaks in additional states are currently under investigation.
To date, four patients with respiratory symptoms and a history of exposure to diseased poultry have been investigated for possible infection. This number includes a woman who died of an acute respiratory illness on 16 February. The three remaining patients are all in good condition.
Arrangements are being made to send samples from all four patients for testing at a WHO collaborating laboratory in the United Kingdom.
The initial outbreak in Kaduna state is now known to have begun on 10 January, raising the possibility that earlier human exposures and cases may have occurred in that area and elsewhere. At hospitals in Kaduna, Kano, and Katsina near affected farms, staff from the WHO-led teams have now examined hundreds of patient records, searching for possible cases that may have occurred earlier. No such cases have been identified to date.
The scale of the outbreak in birds is not yet fully understood. Most investigations have followed poultry deaths on large commercial farms, where outbreaks are highly visible. Little is known about the presence of the virus in small backyard flocks, where the greatest risk of human exposures and infections resides.
Nigeria has an estimated poultry population of around 140 million birds, largely concentrated in the south-western part of the country. As is the case in several affected parts of South-east Asia, around 60% of Nigeria’s poultry production takes place in small backyard flocks. Large-scale commercial farming of poultry occurs mainly in the northern states, where outbreaks have been confirmed.
Rapid spread of the virus within Nigeria has raised concern over possible spread to neighbouring countries. Borders are porous and restrictions on the movement of people and poultry are difficult to enforce. WHO staff at offices in these countries are monitoring the situation closely in collaboration with government officials. Rumours of possible human cases in neighbouring countries are also being closely monitored
On its website, the Lagos State government then reported Nigeria was the first country to report human cases of A/H5N1 in the West African Region one year after the first A(H5N1) outbreak in poultry was reported in the country.
The only human case of Avian Influenza in Nigeria was detected in Lagos State in January 2007. It was officially reported on the 17th of February, 2007. By the end of year 2006, twenty-six (26) farms had been affected by Avian flu in Lagos State.