The H5N1 Bird flu
We endorse the initiative by the Veterinary Services Department to temporarily ban the sale and movement of live birds in Accra to prevent further outbreaks of Avian influenza in the city and its environs.
A statement signed by the acting Director of the Department, Dr. Ben Aniwa, said the general public and especially cockerel and pullet vendors are advised to cease the sale until further notice as their movement from place to place poses a threat to both humans and birds.
According to the statement, two of the outbreaks in the region had been linked to vendors. Reportedly, the Veterinary Services Department banned the importation of poultry and its products from Burkina Faso in April this year following an outbreak as a counter measure against the outbreak of bird flu in Ghana.
Bird flu is a deadly strain of a virus that attacks poultry and kills them after a short period. The deadly H5N1 bird flu can kill humans and has killed people world-wide particularly in Asia and Middle East, since 2003.
The Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research confirmed the outbreak of the disease in Accra in May this year.
Five out of six sample tests conducted by the Institute proved positive for the bird flu virus. Figures from the Parliamentary Select Committee on Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affaires indicate that the disease has so far affected 11 poultry farms in the Greater Accra, Volta and Ashanti regions.
According to Dr. Hannah Louisa Bissiw, Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture in charge of livestock, more than 30,000 live birds had so far been destroyed since the outbreak of the virus was confirmed by the Institute. She said there was a high possibility the virus would spread if live birds were carried from one place to another, hence the ban on the hawking of birds on the streets and in the market.
The Catholic Standard welcomes the decision by the Government to compensate poultry farmers whose live birds have been destroyed as a result of the bird flu to reduce the financial burden it might have on them.
We encourage the populace to buy their birds from certified retailers to reduce the spread of bird flu in the country. There is the need for Veterinary officers to increase their surveillance activities in the country and poultry farmers are advised to report any signs of the virus in their birds to the Veterinary services.
This Paper calls for stringent measures to halt the possible spread of the disease in the country to save lives.
A statement signed by the acting Director of the Department, Dr. Ben Aniwa, said the general public and especially cockerel and pullet vendors are advised to cease the sale until further notice as their movement from place to place poses a threat to both humans and birds.
According to the statement, two of the outbreaks in the region had been linked to vendors. Reportedly, the Veterinary Services Department banned the importation of poultry and its products from Burkina Faso in April this year following an outbreak as a counter measure against the outbreak of bird flu in Ghana.
Bird flu is a deadly strain of a virus that attacks poultry and kills them after a short period. The deadly H5N1 bird flu can kill humans and has killed people world-wide particularly in Asia and Middle East, since 2003.
The Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research confirmed the outbreak of the disease in Accra in May this year.
Five out of six sample tests conducted by the Institute proved positive for the bird flu virus. Figures from the Parliamentary Select Committee on Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affaires indicate that the disease has so far affected 11 poultry farms in the Greater Accra, Volta and Ashanti regions.
According to Dr. Hannah Louisa Bissiw, Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture in charge of livestock, more than 30,000 live birds had so far been destroyed since the outbreak of the virus was confirmed by the Institute. She said there was a high possibility the virus would spread if live birds were carried from one place to another, hence the ban on the hawking of birds on the streets and in the market.
The Catholic Standard welcomes the decision by the Government to compensate poultry farmers whose live birds have been destroyed as a result of the bird flu to reduce the financial burden it might have on them.
We encourage the populace to buy their birds from certified retailers to reduce the spread of bird flu in the country. There is the need for Veterinary officers to increase their surveillance activities in the country and poultry farmers are advised to report any signs of the virus in their birds to the Veterinary services.
This Paper calls for stringent measures to halt the possible spread of the disease in the country to save lives.
