Agric Ministry confirms Bird Flu presence in Ghana
The Ministry of Food and Agriculture has confirmed that some birds in the Greater Accra Region have been infected by avian influenza, also known as bird flu.
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This follows test carried out on some poultry products by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Reference Laboratories in Italy, which revealed that the disease had affected four poultry farms in Accra and Tema.
Speaking at a press conference Wednesday, in Accra, the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, explained that birds in four farms in the Greater Accra Region had been confirmed to be infected with bird flu.
Prior to the FAO test, the Accra Veterinary Laboratory and the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research tested some samples from farms in Achimota and Tema which proved positive.
In an attempt to prevent the virus from entering into the country, the ministry banned the importation of poultry products from Burkina Faso and other infected neighbouring countries along the borders.
Despite the efforts, two farms in Achimota and Tema experienced the outbreak last month.
Mr Kwetey, said the ministry had taken stringent measures to prevent the virus from spreading to other regions in the country.
Some measures, he outlined, were the isolation of identified infected farms, destruction of all poultry products and other materials from the infected farms.
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Measures in place
Mr Kwetey indicated that the ministry was working with other medical counterparts to screen all poultry workers on affected farms for symptoms of the disease.
“It is important to note that no human cases have been detected so far and we are working hard to prevent such an occurrence”.
The ministry had commenced rigorous active search and surveillance, since the initial outbreak in affected and other areas, he said.
Mr Kwetey said there was a team of experts from FAO to technically support the surveillance team on avian influenza response.
The minister, however, said that bird flu was a serious threat to the poultry sector which had been growing in recent years with domestic production currently accounting for 30 per cent demand.
Surveillance
For her part, a Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr Hannah Bissiw allayed fears of citizens, saying, there was control and surveillance at the various borders to prevent the importation of poultry products to the country.
She explained that a temporary ban had been placed on the importation and exportation of poultry products like eggs, duck, turkey, parrot, domestic fowls and feed from countries were the disease had been detected.
"A single bird you bring into the country could be the single source of infection of other birds," she said.
Poultry products safe
Dr Bissiw, however said chicken was still safe for consumption since there was surveillance and ban of poultry products from the four affected farms in Greater Accra region.
She advised poultry farmers to keep their farms clean and report as soon as possible strange behaviour by their birds to veterinary offices and urged the general public to take necessary precaution.
Although, bird flu was a viral disease, she said, it could be transmitted from birds to humans through direct contact with sick birds or their secretions.