By Khadija Aliyu
Amid growing fear in Kano state about the rumoured outbreak of avian influenza, also known as bird flu, the state government has urged residents to remain calm and report any suspected case of the disease to the authority concerned.
According to the state ministry of health, the rumour emanated following a report that sometime in December 2024, a young man from Gwale LGA bought a duck from Janguza market in Tofa LGA and introduced it to his stock comprising guinea fowls and chickens.
Later, he noticed that his birds were showing respiratory distress and a high rate of mortality, as 35 out of 50 were lost.
He then decided to bring a sample to Gwale Veterinary Clinic for diagnosis, of which, the bird flu virus was confirmed on the samples.
Immediately upon receipt of the result, the state Ministry of Agriculture proactively sealed the place, depopulated the remaining chickens and decontaminated the compound.
The ministry also decontaminated the premises of selling live birds in the Janguza market and sensitized sellers on the effects of the bird flu.
The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Abubakar Labaran Yusuf, urged the people of the state to remain calm as the case is not worrisome enough to be declared an outbreak.
The commissioner explained that, the ministry is on top of the issue and taking proactive measures to confront the disease to contain its negative effects before it becomes deadly.
Dr. Labaran pointed out that due to the fact that bird flu infects human and causes havoc to the body, he converged a meeting with Emergency Preparedness Response and One Health committees comprising ministries of agriculture, environment and water resources as well as partners in order to discuss and strategize ways to confronting the issue.
”For now, this was what we have been doing. Meetings would be held every week with the stakeholders, and public would be regularly informed about the issue”
“Surveillance would be intensified in every LGA, especially among poultry and other bird rearers, and reports would be sent to these committees daily and inform Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of the situation.”
The commissioner explained that symptoms of bird flu include fever, mucous, and redness of the eyes among others.
He called on residents, especially poultry rearers, to be the first surveillance officers to safeguard their flocks and wealth by reporting the unhealthy well-being of their birds to relevant authorities for timely action.
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