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Friday 29th March 2024,
Hope for Nigeria

Bird flu poses no severe threat, says Oyo PAN boss

Bird flu poses no severe threat, says Oyo PAN boss

Bird flu poses no severe threat, says Oyo PAN boss – The chairman of the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Oyo State chapter, Akanji Olabanji, says in an interview, the Avian Influenza has no serious risk to the poultry market as well as health of Nigerians. PAN has place measures to check the menace. IBIROGBA FEMI presents the excerpts.

WHAT is Avian Influenza?

Avian influenza, frequently referred to as bird flu, is an infectious illness of birds brought on by Influenza, a virus which is made up of 15 sub-sorts on the basis of the Heamaglutinin (H) antigens and nine neuraminidase (N) antigens. There is Low Pathogenic AI and Hugely Pathogenic AI. Nonetheless, most avian influenza viruses do not infect humans. In most nations, it is treated primarily as a poultry illness.

An infected bird will show sign of weakness, loss of appetite, depression, drop in production, swelling of head and ultimately, death, depending on the severity of the infection and the bird’s immunity. These signs are, however, similar to other viral illnesses like Newcastle illness. Differential diagnosis can be made by a veterinarian whilst confirmatory diagnosis is made in specialised accredited laboratories like the Nigerian Veterinary Research Institute in Vom, Plateau State. In all cases, urgent action should be taken.

Can humans contact the disease from consuming infected birds or poultry goods?

Ideally, a single must not eat sick birds as that increases probabilities of infection. Eating wholesome birds and commercial egg is secure. My answer to this is no it is really rare for one particular to get the illness from consuming poultry items or birds as even the mildest boiling will kill the virus. Secondly, it is extremely couple of of the sub kinds of avian influenza that are in a position to affect humans. Simple hygiene teaches washing and cleaning of hands and cooking utensils at all occasions. Farmers are far more likely to catch the illness on farms exactly where bio-security measures are not strictly adhered to.

But there are claims that bird flu impacts humans?

This is quite accurate but this assertion must be made responsibly and in the correct context. I believe any individual that says that or writes that out of context is undertaking a disservice to the neighborhood. Protein deficiency, resulting in a low plane of nutrition for the average Nigerian is causing low immunity, higher infant mortality, and high maternal mortality price, amongst other folks. Nigerians are not consuming as a lot protein as suggested by worldwide overall health organizations like the UN. Making panic and chaos about bird flu will only drive people further away from issues that are great for them and their young children for no just trigger. We want to appear at the bigger image the probabilities of anyone catching bird flu is extremely slim. Out of over 500,000 poultry farms and 120 million birds in Nigeria, we have seen instances in 11 back yard farms with a total of 22,573 birds in rural farm communities. In the final six months, bird flu has been reported in the USA, China, Canada, Taiwan, Mexico, Holland and so numerous others.

In these nations, it is treated as a poultry disease with minimal public well being implications. The Ministry of Agriculture, led by Dr Akinwumi Adesina, has swung into action, deploying man and material to properly include the spread and is following the universally accepted control measures of isolation and stamp out.

What are the measures put in spot?

Oyo State is the bedrock of poultry industry in the nation. High level of bio-safety is observed by farms and hatchery operators.&nbsp There is higher level of awareness by our farmers on laboratory test and diagnosis. We quarantine day-old chicks from infected neighbouring states. We quarantine of livestock from Northern component of the nation and infected neighbouring states. There is periodic farm water test and laboratory analysis.

Is there a vaccine for bird flu?

There are several poultry vaccines offered. We have Inactivated Homologous Vaccines, Inactivated Heterologous Vaccines or Recombinant Vaccines. There is a big debate in the veterinary community on no matter whether or not we need to vaccinate all or some of our poultry for many motives. Science is operating tough on the numerous possibilities and the greatest answer will be implemented. For now, we have a no vaccination policy enforced by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture in Nigeria.

How deadly is this disease?

Bird flu is predominantly a illness of poultry. We poultry farmers are the ones that are most likely to be affected due to the fact we work closely with these animals. The PAN is consequently continuously coaching farmers on bio-safety and other manage measures. Bird flu is not some thing that the human population must be concerned about at this stage and most likely at any stage. Currently, there are small bird flu outbreaks in most poultry producing countries about the globe. We haven’t noticed them make it headlines on their news channels. Of course each life is important, but in these countries, it is being treated mainly as a poultry disease. At the moment, essential measures are becoming taken to maintain the illness curtailed. I would recommend that priority is provided to exactly where priority is essential, and causing panic positive aspects no 1.

How is bird flu treated?

What we do is to isolate the farm, quarantine and slaughter the birds. We have a stamp out policy where we type a circle around the poultry, and then we go in to slaughter the birds inside the ring. By the time we slaughter, bury or incinerate the birds, we destroy the virus at that point, employing disinfectants copiously to clean the environment. This approach is led by the Ministry of Agriculture. The ministry has taken up the challenge to have the disease stamped out as rapidly as possible. They need to sustain the urgent distribution of man and material to any new website.

Are there human ailments that emanate from bird flu?

On few occasions, close make contact with with infected birds result in flu like infractions. This usually occurs in rural setting exactly where people require much more enlightenment to maintain separate dwellings for poultry.

How can poultry farmers protect their birds from the illness?

Farmers should apply all bio-security measures to defend their farms. They ought to restrict movement in and out of their farms, make sure that cars or gear coming in must be disinfected or humans must modify shoes, wear overalls, wash hands and feet or bathe. The staff should not move between farms. Your bio-security programme is as robust as your weakest hyperlink. They ought to guarantee that virus or bacteria are not permitted into the farm maintain farms clean and free of vermin, cobwebs. Farms need to also be sprayed regularly with disinfectant as most of these microbes are susceptible to most disinfectants. All these measures are what the association is at present recommending to farmers. In some nations exactly where bio-security is tough to enforce, they vaccinate.

What must a poultry farmer do if he sees a dead bird on his farm?

1st of all, there are so numerous issues that could have killed the bird. We have a number of poultry ailments that we are vaccinating against. Nevertheless, if he sees a dead bird, and suspects it may have died of bird flu, particularly in the course of this period, he must put on gloves to pick it, put in a hole, pour chemical on it and bury. But if there are numerous mortalities, he must speak to his nearby veterinary department right away and also inform the PAN. He shouldn’t permit movement of birds out of the farm and he need to right away engage the strictest bio-safety measures. The farmer should not slaughter reside birds or send them to the industry. Any uncommon mortality ought to be reported. Members of employees of the ministry have been well trained to handle the scenario. All efforts will be produced to make sure farmers affected do not endure this alone.

At the moment what measures has the association put in spot to curtail the illness?

Very first of all, we are focusing on spreading the required information needed to curtail the illness. We have alerted all our members on bio-safety measures. We had trained our members in the previous, but we are still education them on bio-security. We are also functioning closely with the Ministry of Agriculture at the federal level to ensure that any case is effectively reported so that the ministry can move in, disinfect, fumigate, and stamp out if confirmed to be avian influenza. Like I stated, there are some situations that have been reported, but they were identified to be new castle illness, which is a disease that also kills birds, it is equivalent to avian influenza but has no public well being significance. Some circumstances had been reported in 11 farms in 4 states, but not all have been avian influenza. If a case is reported, it is investigated and if confirmed by the laboratory that it is avian influenza, the essential measures are carried out.

Ought to Nigerians be worried about eating eggs?

Egg is secure for consumption. Protected also is any healthier bird you find in the marketplace. Most poultry merchandise which includes fresh frozen chicken you uncover in supermarkets are from commercial farms exactly where bio-safety and preventive measures have been place in place. And indeed, egg is nature’s vitamin pill. It is hassle-free, has a terrific taste, inexpensive and has the second greatest protein biological worth, second only to breast milk. The shell of an egg protects it in such a way that it cannot be adulterated. The amino acid and vitamins in egg is highly nutritious and readily available to the physique. In Nigeria, our consumption of egg is very low. The per capita consumption of eggs in Nigeria is about 65. Nonetheless, in Mexico, Japan, Israel, and so on, it is more than 300. In Europe and the US, it is on average more than 270.They all have life expectancies more than 80 years. In Nigeria, life expectancy is 47. If correctly supported and funded, the poultry Industry worth chain can produce one million jobs a year. Nigerians should do the proper issue. Eggs are the greatest sources of protein for young youngsters, energetic youths and adults and pregnant women while improving eyesight and skin tone in the aged. It is also now a popular element of most diets for girls and males who want to shed weight. We assure members of the public that poultry items for instance farm table eggs and white meat are safe for human and animal consumption.

What about the challenge of selling eggs and poultry items simply because of crisis in the north?

Poultry items are enhanced in Oyo State and we are moving from farms to cities like Lagos, Ogun, and to the north. Most of our clients and farmers are having two diverse types of consumers. We have buyers for the South West and North, as well as the East. In case there is a dilemma in the North, when there is a issue in the North-East, numerous of our farmers concentrate promoting their poultry items in Lagos, as nicely as in the South West. So, the crisis has not affected us.

So you mean all the farmers in the state are selling their products without having significantly hurdles?

With reference to last week Wednesday report, there is no egg glut in any of our zone in Oyo State. You discover most of our eggs and merchandise at Shoprite and massive supermarkets.

We learnt that a business has already been established in Ogun State to procedure egg powder and in Oyo State, being the poultry headquarters in Nigeria, is there any plan to establish or facilitate this kind of investment?

Yes, we are thinking towards that path and the government is not helping the sector at all. We have some biscuit manufacturing industries that are bringing in egg powder into the country for the production of particular sorts of biscuit.

They are not buying our raw eggs and we don’t know the cause. The 1 in Ogun State is yet to come up. We are just hearing the rumour that there is an egg powdering machine in Ogun State.&nbsp Officially, we are yet to have the data at our hand, but we are prepared to partner with any genuine business particular person who is interested in egg powdering machine in Nigeria.

&nbspApart from eggs, there is smuggling here and there of other poultry products like turkey and chickens into the nation. How has this impacted the sector in Nigeria and what is the collective effort being made to tackle this?

Poultry products are becoming smuggled in and we all know that smuggling of poultry goods into the country is an illegal act. The act is affecting us badly. They are bringing turkey and chickens preserved with formalin for at least 3 months, which are not edible in these nations. They would bring them into our own country due to the fact of the level of poverty. They would bring them into our country and harm people’s lives, due to the fact they are less costly, due to the fact of higher price of production right here.

The price of production right here is not the price of production over there. Right here, it is greater. The government is not giving any subsidy for any poultry farmer.

Are you asking for subsidy or unique government intervention in the poultry business?

Both subsidy and government getting of our eggs or taking our merchandise more than from us would support a lot.

We are also functioning closely with the Ministry of Agriculture at the federal level to ensure that any case is effectively reported so that the ministry can move in, disinfect, fumigate, and stamp out if confirmed to be avian influenza. Like I stated, there are some situations that have been reported, but they have been found to be new castle illness, which is a disease that also kills birds, it is equivalent to avian influenza but has no public health significance. Some circumstances have been reported in 11 farms in four states, but not all have been avian influenza. If a case is reported, it is investigated and if confirmed by the laboratory that it is avian influenza, the required measures are carried out.

Should Nigerians be worried about consuming eggs?

Egg is protected for consumption. Safe also is any wholesome bird you locate in the marketplace. Most poultry products such as fresh frozen chicken you find in supermarkets are from industrial farms where bio-security and preventive measures have been put in place. And indeed, egg is nature’s vitamin pill. It is hassle-free, has a terrific taste, cost-effective and has the second greatest protein biological worth, second only to breast milk. The shell of an egg protects it in such a way that it can’t be adulterated. The amino acid and vitamins in egg is very nutritious and readily available to the physique. In Nigeria, our consumption of egg is extremely low. The per capita consumption of eggs in Nigeria is around 65. However, in Mexico, Japan, Israel, and so on, it is more than 300. In Europe and the US, it is on typical more than 270.They all have life expectancies over 80 years. In Nigeria, life expectancy is 47. If properly supported and funded, the poultry Industry worth chain can create one million jobs a year. Nigerians must do the proper point. Eggs are the very best sources of protein for young children, energetic youths and adults and pregnant girls even though enhancing eyesight and skin tone in the aged. It is also now a well-liked component of most diets for girls and men who want to shed weight. We assure members of the public that poultry merchandise for instance farm table eggs and white meat are protected for human and animal consumption.

What about the challenge of promoting eggs and poultry products because of crisis in the north?

Poultry items are enhanced in Oyo State and we are moving from farms to cities like Lagos, Ogun, and to the north. Most of our buyers and farmers are possessing two different varieties of consumers. We have clients for the South West and North, as nicely as the East. In case there is a issue in the North, when there is a dilemma in the North-East, a lot of of our farmers concentrate selling their poultry goods in Lagos, as well as in the South West. So, the crisis has not impacted us.

So you mean all the farmers in the state are selling their merchandise without much hurdles?

With reference to final week Wednesday report, there is no egg glut in any of our zone in Oyo State. You locate most of our eggs and products at Shoprite and massive supermarkets. &nbsp

 

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