Bird flu discovered in Ivory Coast
The avian influenza virus has been discovered in turkeys in Ivory Coast, marking the first bird flu outbreak in the country in six months.
The country’s livestock production ministry has confirmed that testing showed a positive result for the H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus.
The tests were performed at a veterinary laboratory in Bingerville, near Abidjan.
The two turkeys came from a livestock camp on a village on the outskirts of Abidjan.
Health and sanitary measures have been put in place and people exposed to the birds are under medical supervision, said the government.
After an outbreak earlier this year, the government banned poultry imports and closed poultry markets. Around 2000 fowl were culled and 12 millions doses of animal vaccine were ordered to stop the disease from spreading.
The Ivory Coast’s poultry sector consists of some 30 million fowl, employs 15,000 people, and generates more than 60 million euros (US78$100 million) in revenue.
According to the latest statistics from the World Health Organisation, there have been 258 cases of bird flu in humans, resulting in 153 deaths.
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