|
 |
Togo bans Ghana poultry
Togo banned poultry from neighbouring
Ghana on Wednesday after a case of the deadly H5N1 bird
flu was detected there, the agriculture ministry said.
A week ago, Ghana became the eighth African country to
report a case of the H5N1 bird flu virus in poultry.
Some 1,700 birds were culled after the discovery.
|
| Togo
authorities on Wednesday asked residents to notify
veterinarians of any "sudden and massive poultry or wild
bird deaths" and to avoid handling dead birds.
The country put a national bird flu plan
into action in February 2006, including a national alert
system, the formation of medical teams and improved
surveillance.
In Africa, Ghana, Egypt, Ivory Coast,
Cameroon, Djibouti, Burkina Faso, Niger and Nigeria have
all reported cases of H5N1 in poultry.
The World Health Organisation has
warned that while humans have so far only caught the
H5N1 strain of bird flu through contact with infected
birds or their droppings, it could claim millions of
lives if it mutates into a form that can be spread among
humans.
|