The Kano State Government said on
Friday it had so far killed over 340, 000 birds since bird flu
resurfaced in the state over two months ago. Dr Shehu Bawa, the
Director, Veterinary Services, state Ministry of Agriculture and Natural
Resources, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano that the birds
were killed in 49 farms.
“We have killed over 340, 000 birds
since the disease resurfaced in the state on Dec. 21, 2015. “The birds
were destroyed in 49 poultry farms across the state, “ Bawa said.
He
disclosed that 10 additional samples were still at the National
Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI), Jos, awaiting confirmation. Bawa
regretted that inadequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) was
hindering the activities of the department in the fight against the
disease.
“The equipment is being used by health
personnel to go into the affected farms to kill infected birds.
“It is
against the WHO standard to kill the infected birds without wearing the
PPE, “ he said. According to him, the absence of the equipment has
affected the operations of the department as the facility was not
available even in the markets across the country.
The director called on
the Federal Government to come to the aid of the state by providing the
needed drugs and facilities to check the spread of the disease.