A Director at Veterinary Services Directorate, Dr Patrick Abakeh has hinted that human beings can be infected by the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza disease, also known as Bird Flu.
He also noted that the same disease can kill humans when infected.
He made this known on Atinka TV’s morning show, Ghana Nie, hosted by Ekourba Gyasi Simpremu.
According to Dr Patrick Abakeh, some of the symptoms that may pop up after coming into contact with birds that have been affected by the bird flu include fever, cough, sore throat and body pains.
He has therefore urged the public to report to the nearest medical facility when they come into contact with any bird suffering from the disease.
For veterinaries, he urged them to use disinfectant at the farms and ensure that persons who come in there will step in the disinfectants before moving into or around the farms.
“You should also be careful where you get your feed, maybe some feed source may also contain the disease. Also, do not allow wild birds into your farm, make sure your security is tight so that they cannot enter your farm,” he said.
The Ministry of Food and Agriculture over the weekend announced that there was an outbreak of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza disease, also known as Bird Flu, in parts of the country.
According to the Ministry, its Veterinary Services Directorate detected the Flu in the Greater Accra, Central and Volta Regions.
So far, five farms in the Greater Accra Region have been affected by the outbreak of the Bird Flu.
In these farms, 2,157 birds died naturally while 300 were destroyed by farmers.
In the Central Region, Dr Patrick Abakeh said one farm has been affected by the outbreak, out of which 2,400 birds died naturally with 4,200 being destroyed.
For the Volta Region, he said one farm has also been affected, noting that 240 birds died naturally while none had been destroyed.
Meanwhile, he has also urged the public to ensure that they cook their birds well before consuming it.https://atinkaonline.com/local-news/ghana-loses-about-10000-birds-to-bird-flu-within-3-days/
For the Farmers who have lost a lot of birds through bird flu and are seeking compensation, He said “We will forward it to our ministry and they will also forward it to government and then we will see what we can do,” he said.
He said they are increasing surveillance and educating the farmers amongst others to curb the situation.
Ghana| Atinkaonline.com| Porcia Oforiwaa Ofori
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