Bird flu spreading in Nigeria
01/07/2006 17:15  - (SA)  

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Abuja - The H5N1 strain of bird flu has been detected in the remote Taraba state of eastern Nigeria, said officials on Friday.

Nigeria has not reported any human cases of the disease, but H5N1 virus experts say surveillance may not be completely effective and cases may have gone undetected.

Bird flu has been detected in 14 of Nigeria's 36 states and in the federal capital territory. Before Taraba, bird flu had been detected in Lagos in April.

"We have identified it in three places in Taraba, one commercial farm and two places where there are backyard poultry," said Lami Lombin, director of the National Veterinary Research Institute which tests for bird flu.

"There are a few places in Plateau and Kaduna where we are still getting new outbreaks. Elsewhere all the samples we're getting are negative."

Plateau and Kaduna, which form a strip of north-central Nigeria, were among the first four states where H5N1 was detected in February.

Taraba borders Plateau to the east.

In the first few weeks after the first cases were found, bird flu spread rapidly in poultry across the country despite measures, such as culling and quarantine, to contain it.

Veterinary officials said the disease was not contained, but recent evidence suggested measures to prevent its spread were working better.

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