Niger Reports First Avian Flu Outbreak for Eight Years
NIGER - The first outbreak of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza in the country for over eight years has occurred on a farm in the south of the country.
23 April 2015
2 minute read
By: According to an Immediate Notification dated 22 April sent by the veterinary authority to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), there has been an outbreak of high-path avian flu in the south of the country in a region bordering Nigeria.
It started on 2 April in layer and breeding parent birds at a farm in Maradi. Of the 2,440 birds on the farm, 2,290 died.
The usual control measures are to be applied: control of wildlife reservoirs, stamping-out, quarantine, movement controls inside the country, screening, zoning and disinfection of infected premises/establishment(s). Vaccination is prohibited and there is no treatment of affected animals.
The presence of the H5N1 subtype of the virus has been confirmed.
The last outbreak in the country was in June 2006.
