Health News of Thursday, 11 June 2015

Source: starrfmonline.com

10 farmers quarantined over Bird flu in Ghana

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Health officials in Ghana have quarantined 10 poultry farmers who are believed to have come into contact with birds infected with Bird Flu.

The farmers are “under observation”, according to Agriculture Ministry officials.

Ghana’s veterinary officers have culled over 1000 birds at Kpone in the Greater Accra region following the confirmation of Bird Flu in the country by an Italian laboratory.

Head of Public Health at the Veterinary Service, Dr. Boi Kiki-Moto told Starr News the farmers and veterinary officers are on high alert to contain the outbreak.

He said over 50 crates of eggs and bags of feed have been destroyed.

Kiki-Moto advised that farmers should not panic when they see their birds suddenly die on their farms.

He assured that a lot of farms are being monitored following the news from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Laboratory in Italy.

According to the deputy Minister of Agriculture, Hannah Bissiw, the public should be on “high alert” in the wake of the Avian flu outbreak.

“We advise the public to quickly alert the technical persons to know what the problem may be. We advise every farmer to activate their best security systems,” she told Accra-based Joy FM.