Nigerians unfazed by H5N1 death
2007-02-02 00:04
Joel Olatunde Agoi
Lagos - Chicken traders and buyers alike in Nigeria seemed unfazed on Thursday following reports of the country's first person to die from the bird flu virus.
It was business as usual in the specialised chicken markets of Lagos, Nigeria's teeming commercial capital, despite the confirmation by government officials on Wednesday that a 22-year-old woman had died of the deadly virus in the city in mid-January after helping pluck and disembowel a chicken for her family's consumption.
"Nothing has changed. We have continued to enjoy increased patronage in spite of the news of the first human case," said Iganmu chicken market leader, 60-year-old Ahmadu Dua.
"I have been in this business for 35 years. I had two wives and 19 children and all were trained through the business," said the trader from the northern state of Zamfara, surrounded by locally made round palm-leaf cages containing apparently very healthy chickens.
He said 10 of his children are currently in different markets in the city, selling chickens and guinea fowls.
Bird flu or not business goes on
"Bird flu or no bird flu, the business goes on and buyers will continue to come. Those who like chicken will continue to eat it," Dua said, adding that business on Thursday was good by the standards of this time of year.
The chicken business is seasonal, he said, adding "we sell more during festivities and at weekends".
In nearby Oyingbo market, Edward Esien and his wife haggled over prices with a seller, as several other buyers were busy making their choices.
After a deal of $6.5 for a chicken, the 32-year-old Ghanaian fashion designer counted some notes and paid the seller.
"I have been buying chicken from this market since 1992 without a problem. Besides, we cook our chicken very well before eating," he said.
"Once, we notice that a chicken is sick, we report to the local government authorities immediately," trader Mustapha Mohammed chimed in.
Death of woman from bird flu
He said local health officials visit the market weekly to examine birds and ensure that traders buy from reputable farms.
"In this market, we buy from (President Olusegun Obasanjo) farm at Ota and other reputable farms in the country," he said.
Only Daniel Obi, upon being told of the death of the woman from bird flu, decided not to buy the chicken he had wanted to give to a friend.
"I did not know about the woman's case. Now that I know, I am no longer interested in the purchase because I cannot give a gift that will kill my friend," said the 40-year-old businessman.
He advised government to create more awareness on the dangers of the disease with a view to curbing its spread.
The deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza was first detected in poultry on a farm in Jaji, outside the northern city of Kaduna, in February 2006, from where it spread to other parts of the country.
- SAPA