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Niger prepares for bird flu
13/02/2006 14:00 - (SA)
Niamey - With deadly bird flu raging just over the border in Nigeria, authorities in Niger said on Monday that they had set up a crisis unit in case the disease enters the country.
A government statement said: "A permanent crisis unit has been established up to track the development of the situation.
"Until now, no case of bird flu has been declared in Niger. However, given the quantity of exchanges between our two populations, Niger is not immune from the introduction of the illness" from its neighbour.
The statement urged residents to inform the authorities immediately of any suspect deaths of domestic or wild birds anywhere in the country.
It said, as well as already-banned imports from Nigeria, movement of poultry and other birds was forbidden between Niger's eight regions.
Niger imports poultry, eggs
The authorities said people should cook poultry and poultry products properly before eating them, and not touch dead birds or wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water if they do so.
Niger imported the bulk of its poultry and eggs from its southern neighbour across a poorly guarded 1 500km frontier.
Its second city, Zinder, and its economic capital, Maradi, were close to the border with Nigeria's Kano state, one of the areas where bird flu was detected last week.
One suspected outbreak was on a farm only 15km from the frontier.
Of Nigeria's other neighbours, Benin and Cameroun had also banned poultry imports. A ban imposed in Chad's capital, N'djamena, was to be extended to cover the whole country.
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