Dead birds raise fears of bird flu

The death of at least 400 chickens, turkeys and geese in Niger – which shares a 1,500-kilometre border with bird-flu-infected Nigeria – has government officials scurrying to prevent the spread of the deadly virus.

Niger authorities banned the importation of all poultry and poultry products, reinforced border patrols and launched a public awareness campaign, after the H5N1 virus was confirmed in Nigeria. The discovery of the dead birds near the town of Magaria in Niger’s southern Zinder region days later prompted the government to reinforce its efforts and ask for international help with testing for the virus.

“The government has asked FAO [UN Food and Agriculture Organisation] to send its experts currently in Chad and Nigeria to Magaria before the end of the week,” said Amadou Bare, secretary general of the animal resources ministry. Niger wants the experts to send bird samples to the UK for testing.

On Wednesday Niger's national committee for the fight against bird flu announced it has drawn up a 2.2-billion CFA franc (US $3.9 million) emergency programme it will submit to the government. Like many African countries, in order to finance its fight against the virus Niger will have to turn to the international community.

A UN World Health Organisation (WHO) official said the agency is ready to help. “We will join Niger in working to mobilise resources to put this plan into action,” Gagara Magagi, WHO representative in Niger, said during a discussion broadcast on national television and radio on Wednesday. “There are many partners who are ready to finance the fight against this disease.”

In addition to the bird remains found in the southern Zinder region, on Tuesday some dead swallows were found in the town of Garanke Day in Dosso, just 150 kilometres from the capital, Niamey, according to sources in Dosso.

The H5N1 virus was confirmed 8 February in northern Nigeria, where at least three of 36 states have now seen cases of infection – two of which share borders with Niger.

Since Niger authorities placed joint military and technical squads along the border with Nigeria last week, the remains of several imported chickens have been confiscated.

A local radio station in Konni – a town about 400 kilometres east of Niamey and near the Nigerian border – announced on Wednesday that the patrol teams had seized chickens originating from Nigeria and incinerated them.

The Niger government has given strict instructions to regional authorities in Maradi, Tahou and Zinder regions to apprehend anyone trying to bring poultry or poultry products in from Nigeria.