The state government of Kebbi has assured the people of the state that the discovery of Avian Influenza in two farms in two local government areas of the state is not cause for alarm.
Alhaji Aminu Garba DanDiga, the Commissioner for Animal Health and Husbandry, confirmed the disease’s discovery in the two farms while speaking with reporters after inspecting the affected areas with Epidemiologists.
According to him, “I want to thank the Governor of Kebbi State for his relentless efforts to make sure that the citizens of Kebbi state are been fed with healthy meats, birds and providing health facilities to the people of the state.
“Just of recent, we received a report of bird fluid, Avian Influenza in which we deployed our medical team to the affected areas. They went there, took the samples, and we got the results. We wrote the Governor and he gave the approval for immediate fumigation of the whole state. Livestock’s – markets have been fumigated, manure Merchants, Livestock’s Merchants, Health workers are now being engaged in various communities which also includes Ministry of Health and Ministry of Animal Husbandry and Ministry of Environment and Solid Mineral.
“We are putting our heads together under the directive of the Governor. The experts have started fumigation today and sensitization, awareness are now being carry out on how to handle this disease. The Avian Influenza, the flu, which is also an epidemiology disease, is found in bats, animals and transfer to human from animal, vise visa”.
DanDiga who allayed the fear of people, said the people of the state should not panic as the state government have started fumigation as well engaging experts to ensure the disease were contained.
He said; “ it is only two Poultry farms that were affected in which, they have been contained and the whole state are being fumigated”.
Dr. Ahmad Muhammad Aliyu, an Epidemiology and Disease Reporting Officer at the Department of Veterinary Services, Kebbi State Ministry of Animal Husbandry, said the state was experiencing a disease outbreak that he referred to as “bird flu.”
“Two farms were affected in the state which , on reporting to us, the Ministry immediately prepared team of Epidemiologists to the sites. Samples were carefully collected, sent to the Laboratory in Jos and the results came back to be positive of the Hpi. And, these affected two farms in the state in two Local government areas so far”.
He said that the situation in Kebbi state is under control with the containment measures put in place by the state government stressed that, the disease could affected Pigs, Horses, Donkeys and the likes.
He added that, the most concern now is that Dogs and water-fowls birds are the reservoirs of the disease because the disease could not killed them or making them sick for their entire lives because they would not showing any symptoms.
Ahmad advised the residents of the state to avoid close proximity with the water fowls birds and other carrier animals stressed that, the Ministry has not recorded any human infection so far.