November 13, 2007

Nigeria warns poultry farmers over vaccination against bird flu

Poultry farmers in Bauchi State in Nigeria have been warned against illegal vaccination of their birds against bird flu.

At a workshop for poultry farmers, the state commissioner for agriculture, Alhaji Yakubu Abdullahi, said the government was aware of poultry farmers importing and using the vaccine illegally.

He said that the act contravened federal government guidelines to the control of the disease and warned the farmers against breaking the law.

The commissioner said the government has enough vaccines to deal with any bird flu outbreaks and urged poultry farmers to report signs of an outbreak immediately.

In April 2007, the FAO listed Nigeria as one of the countries who may not be able to keep bird flu under control alongside countries like Indonesia and Egypt. The country was cited for its failure to keep poultry imports and exports under control.

Authorities report there has been no reported outbreaks since January.