Ministry bans poultry imports from Burkina Faso
The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) has banned the importation of poultry and poultry products from Burkina Faso, following the outbreak of Avian Influenza, also known as bird flu, in that country.
The Veterinary Service Directorate of the ministry has also increased its surveillance activities in the Volta, Upper East and Upper West regions to prevent a possible outbreak in Ghana.
A statement signed by the acting Director of Veterinary Services, Dr Ben Aniwa, and issued in Accra urged the public to avoid using their bare hands to handle dead birds and also cook meat and eggs properly before eating.
“The general public is to quickly report any unusual deaths in domestic, as well as, wild birds to the nearest veterinary office,” it said.
Bird flu
Bird flu is a viral infection that is hosted by birds and spread from bird to bird.
The disease may infect several species of mammals. It was first identified in Italy in the early 1900s and is now known to exist worldwide.
A strain of the H5N1-type of the Avian Influenza virus that emerged in 1997 has been identified as the most likely source of a future influenza pandemic.
Strains of virus may infect various types of animals, including birds, pigs, horses, seals, whales and humans. However, wild fowls act as natural asymptomatic carriers, spreading it to more susceptible domestic stocks.
The virus spreads in the air and in manure and there is no evidence that it can survive in well-cooked meat.
Symptoms of bird flu in birds include ruffled feathers, soft-shelled eggs, depression and droopiness, sudden drop in egg production, loss of appetite and blood-tinged discharge from nostrils.
According to experts, bird flu does not spread easily from person to person. The very few cases of human-to-human transmission have been among people with exceptionally close contact, such as a mother who caught the virus while caring for her sick infant.
Fear of outbreak
As of 2011, the disease was well established in six countries, namely Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia and Vietnam.
This year, cases of bird flu have been reported in a number of West African countries, including Nigeria and Burkina Faso, which occurred in March 2015.
Experts have long feared that if H5N1 reaches Africa, it could quickly take hold and spread out of control.
