Veterinary Services allays fears of farmers over bird flu
The Ashanti Regional Director of Veterinary Services, Dr Kofi Kwansah-Filson, has allayed the fears of poultry farmers in the region over the recent outbreak of Avian Influenza, also known as bird flu, in the country, saying the situation had been contained.
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He said even before the country recorded its suspected cases, the authorities had been on the alert since Nigeria announced the outbreak of the virus early in January this year.
The director, therefore, said there was no cause for alarm since the suspected case had already been contained and that his outfit was prepared to prevent any further outbreak.
Confirmation
So far, he said, it was only the “H” component of the H5N1 virus that had been confirmed and that authorities were waiting for the Padova Laboratory in Italy to confirm the “N” aspect before it can be announced that there was “an outbreak of avian influenza in the country.”
He said per the protocol with the World Health Organisation (WHO), “it is only the Minister of Agriculture who can announce that there is an outbreak of bird flu in the country,” and until that was done, he asked the public to not fret as “everything is under control.”
Speaking at a seminar organised for poultry farmers in the Ashanti Region, Dr Kwansah-Filson asked farmers to continuously follow the basic hygiene and sanitation procedure in poultry farming.
The seminar was organised by Boris B Farms and Veterinary Services with sponsorship from the Fidelity Bank. It was on the theme: “Enhancing Biosecurity for Disease Control in the Poultry Industry in the Ashanti Region.”
As part of the measures to contain the situation and prevent it from becoming a national epidemic, he said, the Ashanti Regional Veterinary Services Department had instituted a GH¢1, 000 reward for any veterinary staff member who would detect the first case of bird flu in the region. Besides, a regional task force had been formed to activate the emergency preparedness plan in case there was an outbreak.
Similarities
A resource person, Dr Boakye Yiadom, who took the farmers through the signs of the bird flu, said the virus was similar to the Newcastle disease and presented similar symptoms, which include greenish diarrhoea, paralysis of the legs, twisting of necks and coughing.
However, he said with the bird flu, “there is a coloration of the comb and the wattle and high mortality rate. You can lose a whole farm within four days.”
That notwithstanding, he said the symptoms were not enough for one to say there was an outbreak of bird flu as it had to be confirmed by a lab test.
Siting of farms
According to Dr Yiadom, the closeness of the farms also contributed to the widespread of viruses whenever there was an outbreak.
Ideally, he said, farms should be about three kilometres apart. However, he said, the opposite was the situation in the country as some farms even shared halls, thereby making it easier for infections to cross to other farms.
He advised the farmers to adhere to the biosecurity measures and ensure that they disinfected their farms and working gears so as to not contaminate their farms.
Seminar
The Chief Executive Officer of Boris B Farms, Mr Boris Baidoo, explained that the seminar was to help the farmers learn more about the disease, its detection and prevention.
He expressed gratitude to Fidelity Bank for the partnership.