Assistance in tackling bird flu limited

Two weeks after bird flu was confirmed in Niger, authorities have received only limited assistance to tackle the deadly H5N1 virus. The government of Niger launched an appeal for assistance the day after bird flu was confirmed in Niger at the end of February. First off the mark with help, was neighbouring Nigeria, the first country to confirm bird flu in Africa in early February. Equipment to safely dispose of the dead and infected birds including boots, gloves, masks and disinfectant products have been received from Nigeria, according to Niger’s Minister for Livestock Jina Abdoulaye. Those materials are already being put to good use in Magaria, some 900 km east of the capital Niamey where the virus was first detected. And five trainers will accompany the materials to show Nigeriens how to effectively use them, said the minister. Niger is the world’s poorest country, according to the UN’s Human Development Index where only 15 percent of the country’s adults can read and write and around 85 percent of people live on less than US $2 a day. However, the majority of Nigerians are only marginally better off despite oil, of which Nigeria is the seventh largest exporter in the world. Some international NGOs already operating in arid Niger, which last year suffered an acute food crisis due to drought and locust infestations, have offered help. On Thursday, the government signed an accord with NGO Plan International for 41 million CFA (US $75,000) to combat bird flu. But for the most part, the government is on its own and has released 7 billion CFA, or US $12 million, from state coffers to arrest the spread of bird flu plus 250 million CFA, or US $450,000, to carry out a national information and awareness campaign.