This is an expositional research about bird flu

1. 1.1 INTRODUCTION
Highly pathogenic Avian Influenza, commonly called bird flu, is a serious disease
affecting birds and in some cases human beings. There is a new strain of avian
influenza called the H5N1 which is very infectious and has caused the death of
millions of chickens and other birds around the world, with very high economic
loss. It can also affect human beings and may result in death.
Avian influenza is a viral disease of all domestic and wild birds characterized by
respiratory, digestive and in some cases nervous signs and high morbidity and
mortality. Incubation period ranges from a few hours to 2 weeks depending on
the virus dose, route of infection and species of birds. An important feature of
the avian influenza (AI) epidemic and the virus is the wide range of species of
birds infected (Perkins and Swayne, 2003). AI is worldwide in distribution
(Alexander 2003; Senne, 2003; Alexander, 2004; FAO, 2005) with a negative
socio-economic impact apart from the public health significance of the disease.
In the Asian epidemic (1997-2005) all species of domestic poultry were affected
(Alexander 2004; FAO, 2005). In countries with mixed populations of birds,
village chickens and ducks were the principal focus of clinical disease (FAO,
2005). Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is a devastating disease in
poultry; it is associated with a high death rate and disrupts poultry production
and trade and can be transmitted to humans. The dreaded Avian Influenza (AI)
was first reported at a farm in Kaduna, Nigeria on the 14 January 2006 (Adene
et al., 2006) and confirmed by the OIE world reference laboratory at Padova,
Italy on the 7th February, 2006. This outbreak in Nigeria was the first reported
outbreak of the H5N1 Asian strain on the African continent (NADIS INFO, 2006).
Despite immediate containment measures taken by the veterinary and public
health authorities in conformity with standard operation procedures, the

2. disease still spread to 14 states and 26 local government areas. Over 268
suspected cases were analyzed at the National veterinary Research Institute
(NVRI), Vom, where 58 were found positive and over 200 tested negative (NADIS
INFO, 2006).
Prior to the first confirmed AI case at Kaduna on January 14th 2006, scores of
local poultry were reported to have been dying in Jigawa state between
December, 2005 and early January 2006, from a strange disease that was more
devastating than Newcastle disease. In Kano state also, birds were reported
dying due to an unknown disease condition from which chemotherapy and
supportive care proved abortive in many cases. The import of this study is to
examine and analyze the reports and impact of Avian Influenza in some states
of Northwestern Nigeria during the 2006 outbreaks.
The bird flu virus is passed from one bird to another. This happens when birds
come in contact with an infected bird or its droppings. Birds can also get the
virus from water or places where infected birds have defecated.
In Africa, eight (8) countries have reported cases of bird flu. They are Burkina
Faso, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Niger, Nigeria and Sudan.
While bird flu is primarily a disease of birds - from bird to bird, there have been
reports of humans affected by the virus. AS AT 6 February, 2007, 272 human
cases were reported in eleven countries with 166 death. Most of the affected
people came from Asian countries such as China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand
and Indonesia. Human cases have also been reported in three African countries
- Egypt, Djibouti and Nigeria.
There is no evidence to date of sustained human-to-human transmission - like
the ordinary flu. However, the world is concerned that H5N1 could adapt to, and
become easily transmitted among humans. Once this adaptation occurs, it will

3. no longer be a bird virus; it will become a human influenza virus, which could
cause a pandemic.
1.2 THE CAUSATIVE AGENT
Avian influenza viruses are members of the family orthomyxoviridae. Within the
family are three types of influenza: A, B and C. Types B and C affect only humans
while type A affects poultry species and there is evidence that the avian
influenza viruses can naturally infect other mammals (Lu et al., 1982). Influenza
A viruses are divided on the bases of the antigenic relationships in the surface
glycoproteins haemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) into subtypes.
There are at present 16 H subtypes and 9 N subtypes. Currently, only viruses of
H5 and H7 subtypes have been shown to cause the Highly Pathogenic Avian
Influenza (HPAI) in susceptible species of poultry, but not all H5 and H7 viruses
are virulent.
1.3 AVIAN INFLUENZA SITUATION IN NIGERIA
The exotic disease that recently hit the country is avian influenza. This pandemic
was reported in Nigeria by February 2006 causing panic and crisis in the poultry
sector. (Dochia, 2006b) quoting the World Health Organization (WHO) for
animal health reported that Northern Nigeria has seen Africa’s first cases of bird
flu. It was confirmed that it was the highly virulent H5N1 virus strain. (Anon,
2006), reported that the most lethal strain of bird flu has been detected in
Taraba state, bringing to 15 the number of states, out of a total of 36 to be
affected by the virus. So far, 20 farms in Nigeria have been infected and the cases
have been taken over by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture for containment and
culling. The presence of H5N1 virus was confirmed by the National Institute of

4. Veterinary Research, Vom, Jos. (Olanrewaju, 2006) reported that avian flu has
in the last nine months spread from South East Asia to 40 other countries.
The virus was discovered on Sambawa farms (Igabi Local Government), Kaduna
State on 8 January 2006 and confirmed by the OIEWorld Reference Laboratory
at Padova, Italy, on 7 February 2006.
From one state in February 2006, the virus has continued its spread right across
Nigeria. As at 6 February 2007, the virus had affected 55 Local Government
Areas (LGAs) in 21 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Of even greater
concern, the country recorded its first human case of Avian Influenza fatality on
17 January 2007 with the death of a 22-year old female in Lagos
State.
Announcing the first human case in Nigeria at a press briefing in Lagos on 31
January 2007, Information and Communications Minister, Frank Nweke Jnr.
cited a report of a 13-man team of Nigerian Virologist and Laboratory Experts
that tests conducted using in-country laboratory facilities confirmed the AI
fatality of the 22-year old female. The official report of the Federal Government
of Nigeria was validated by the World Health Organization (WHO).
1.4 FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSE
In 2005, the Government of Nigeria developed a National Emergency
Preparedness and Response Plan (NEPRP). Following the outbreak of avian
influenza in the country, the government put into motion actions for the
prevention and control of the disease. Using the NEPRP as a basis, a Strategic
Containment Action Plan was developed with support of international
development partners.
An Avian Influenza Crisis Management Centre, jointly supervised by the Federal
Ministries of Agriculture, Health, and Information and National Orientation, was
set up to coordinate activities and disseminate information regarding the

5. prevention and control of avian influenza in Nigeria. The Government also set
up a Public Enlightenment Committee to implement a Communication Strategy
and Action Plan.
The Federal Ministry of Health set up a Rapid Response Team to coordinate
response activities and carry out active surveillance and case searching in
collaboration with affected states to identify and isolate any possible human
case.
The Federal Ministry of Agriculture also activated its Plan for the bio-
containment of the virus and prevention of its spread through stamping out of
infected birds, movement restriction of poultry, and enhanced bio-security
measures nationwide.
The Government has instituted the following measures to control and contain
the bird flu virus in the country:
 Surveillance
 Relief
 Quarantine Bio-Security at Farm Sites and Markets.
 Depopulation Markets (based on standard operating procedure)
 Capacity Building
 Decontamination (based on standard operating procedure)
 Public Enlightenment and Social Mobilization
1.5 RELIEF SCHEME FOR ALL AFFECTED POULTRY FARMERS
The Federal Government has set up a relief scheme for all poultry farmers whose
birds might be infected with Avian Influenza. All poultry owners are highly
encouraged to report cases of high mortality among their bird populations.
Infected birds will be culled and adequate compensation paid for the culled birds
at the rates indicated below. As at 31 January 2007, the Federal Government of

6. Nigeria has completed relief payment to the 17 initially affected states at a cost
of 163,331,586.00.
1.6 SIGNS OF BIRD FLU IN BIRDS
The signs of avian influenza in birds vary and can be affected by the existence of
other diseases, the age of the birds, the environment and the severity of the
virus itself. In very severe forms the disease appears suddenly and birds die
quickly, sometimes without showing clinical signs of the disease. Signs may
include:
 Quietness and depression
 Loss of appetite
 Decrease in egg production
 Production of soft-shelled or shell-less eggs
 Profuse watery diarrhoea
 Combs and wattles may be swollen and become blue
 Swelling of the face, and skin under the eyes
 Reddening of the legs
 Laboured respiration
 Coughing, sneezing - nasal discharge
 Nervous problems - uncoordinated gaits
 Haemorrhages on the hock
 Sudden death without clinical signs
 Mass mortalities. It may start with a few deaths which may be followed
by an outbreak , killing hundreds or thousands of birds each day.
1.7 SIGNS OF BIRD FLU IN HUMANS
Initial AI symptoms in human include:

7. Other reported early symptoms have also included:
Anybody in direct contact with sick or dead poultry is at risk. One of the greatest
risks of exposure to the virus is through handling and slaughter of live infected
poultry. When handling live or dead birds, it is imperative to disinfect hands and
surfaces with soap and water.
Persons particularly at risk of contracting avian influenza include poultry
farmers, keepers and sellers, animal health service providers and disease control
officers as well as children.
High fever, usually with a high temperature and influenza-like symptoms.
 Diarrhoea
 Vomiting
 Abdominal pain
 Chest pain
 Bleeding from the nose and gums
There is currently no effective vaccine to protect humans against H5N1.
However, some anti-viral drugs can help limit symptoms and reduce the chances
of the disease spreading.
1.8 PERSONS AT RISK
Anybody in direct contact with sick or dead poultry is at risk. One of the greatest
risks of exposure to the virus is through handling and slaughter of live infected
poultry. When handling live or dead birds, it is imperative to disinfect hands and
surfaces with soap and water.
Persons particularly at risk of contracting avian influenza include poultry
farmers, keepers and sellers, animal health service providers and disease control
officers as well as children.

8. 1.9 CONTROLLING THE SPREAD OF BIRD FLU
Controlling the spread of the HPAI in the bird population and preventing its
spread from birds to humans are at the center of the control and containment
plan of the Government of Nigeria.
CONTAINMENT IN BIRDS
In poultry, the control and containment strategy is a planning process with the
following key components:
 Surveillance - searching for the virus to determine the source and extent
of the infection and making sure that any outbreaks are investigated,
samples tested by NVRI in Vom and feedback provided to the affected
farm.
 Depopulation - sanitary disposal of dead and destroyed poultry and
contaminated poultry products according to standard Operation
Procedures.
 Decontamination - disinfection and decontamination of affected
premises.
 Bio-security at farm sites and markets including the separation of species,
keeping and environment clean, disinfecting all equipment, vehicles,
dispose of dead birds properly and promptly, etc.
 Relief scheme - a motivational scheme to encourage poultry farmers
whose birds might be infected with Avian Influenza to report cases of
mortality among their birds. Infected birds will be culled and
compensation paid for the culled birds.
 Restocking - helping to build the capacity of affected farms to expand
biosecurity measures and re-start poultry activities.
CONTAINMENT OF IN HUMANS
 Surveillance.

9.  The rapid deployment of anti-viral drugs in the areas of possible
transmission.
 Limiting people's movement in affected area.
 Effective and accurate methods of diagnosis.
 Antiviral treatment such as the use of Tamiflu and Relenza.
 Prevention through information dissemination and promotion of specific
behaviour change actions.
 Quarantine of affected persons.
1.10 IMPACT OF BIRD FLU
Economic impact of avian influenza
Indeed, the outbreak of bird flu has threatened to throw the poultry industry
into a crisis. (Olanrewaju, 2006) reported that in Nigeria, the poultry farmers
have been affected negatively by the outbreak of avian influenza. Many people
refused to eat chicken and eggs to avoid being exposed to the risk of contracting
the disease. In addition, many people will rather eat fish or beef causing the
price of beef and other livestock to escalate (Personal observation, 2006).
Moreover, the closure of affected farms has resulted to unemployment.
(Akintunde, 2006) citing the Central Bank of Nigeria reported that Nigeria lost
about 450,000 birds between February and March 2006 to the avian influenza
H5N1 strain. Furthermore, (Olanrewaju, 2006) quoted the flu hits sales at home
and abroad. The Paris government said more than 40 countries have restricted
imports from French poultry following the outbreak of
H5N1 at a turkey farm in east of the country. The Germany’s poultry industry
has lost more than 140 million euros ($ 168 million) since 2005 autumn (Dochia,
2006d). In South East Asia, (Verbiest and Castillo, 2004) separated the impact of
HPAI into macro and micro economic impacts. The macro economic impact will

10. be greater for poultry exporting countries while HPAI would have strong micro
economic impact in regions where small holder farmers are dependent on
poultry production due to difficulties in overcoming the costs of culling and
restocking in the face of an outbreak. And the later is the case in Nigeria.
Zoonotic impact of avian influenza
When the deadly avian flu broke out among humans about two years ago in Asia,
experts across the globe worried over the implications to human population if
not curbed on time. However, a new dimension has been added to this fear
which is that, the deadly H5N1 strain could exterminate a species of mammals
and maybe other life forms and could even distort the ecosystem (www.
independentngonline.com). It would be difficult for authorities to know whether
any person has been infected with the virus as mortality rate in impoverished
Nigeria are among the highest in the world and people are often buried without
any formal autopsy (Dochia, 2006a). However, WHO count of human cases with
avian influenza stood at 186 confirmed cases and 105 deaths as shown in Table
1 and most of them are from Asia. The number of human cases and countries
increased in 2007, has shown in Table 2. And one case reported in Nigeria of a
22 years old female who died in Lagos on January 17, 2007.
1.11 SOME BEST PRACTICES TO REDUCE EXPOSURE AND PREVENTION OF
H5N1
International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN, 2005), stated that the
consumption of poultry products should not cause fear provided the food is
properly cooked. INFOSAN further gave the recommended good hygienic
practices to reduce exposure to the virus and its spread through food (adapted
from the WHO 5 keys to safer food) as follows:

11. (i) Separate raw meat from cooked or ready-to-eat foods to avoid
contamination. Do not use the same chopping board or the same knife for
raw meat and other foods.
(ii) Keep clean and wash your hands. After handling frozen or thawed raw
chicken or eggs, wash your hand thoroughly with soap. Wash and disinfect
all surfaces and utensils that have been in contact with the raw meat.
(iii) Cook thoroughly. Thorough cooking of poultry meat will inactive the virus.
Either ensure that the poultry meat reaches 70°C at the centre of the product
or that the meat is not pink in any part. Egg yolk should not be runny or liquid.
(iv) Do not eat raw poultry parts or raw eggs.
The control measures used in the five studied countries in Asia includes:
disinfection, quarantine, import ban, screening, zoning compensation. (Rushton
et al., 2005). According to (Hafez, 2005) once a diagnosis of avian influenza has
been officially confirmed, a competent authority shall establish a protection
zone based on a minimum radius of three kilometres around the infected
holding, itself contained in a surveillance zone based on a minimum radius of 10
kilometres. All poultry on the holding shall without delay be killed on the spot.
Hatching eggs and table eggs laid during the presumed incubation period which
have moved from the holding shall be traced and destroyed. No poultry shall be
reintroduced to the holding until after 21 days. Furthermore, vaccination against
avian influenza with vaccines authorized by the competent authority may only
be used to supplement the control measures carried out when the disease
appears in poultry.
Other suggested measures include: Prevent access to rodents and other wild
birds, burn or burry dead birds, cases of rapid spread of infection should be
reported to the veterinarian, workers should use hand glove and facemask, buy
birds from known sources that are disease free, restriction in movement of

12. visitors and materials to/in the farm, spraying of the premises with iodine and
formalin, use of detergent containing disinfectant in the hatchery machines,
trays, egg holding room etc, litter from poultry should be burnt or buried, old
feed bags should be burnt or buried and not recycled, discourage staff from
going to other farms and live bird markets and provide dipping vats with
disinfectant for foot wears and vehicles.
1.12 CONCLUSION
The risk posed by bird flu is causing concern to all stakeholders-producers and
consumers of poultry products the world over. International and collaborative
researches into the deadly disease, vaccine development and access to data will
greatly help in the current efforts to fight this pandemic. This disease which has
now become a political as well as economic issue is capable of wiping out not
only the poultry species but also humans.
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