BIRD FLU IN NIGERIA.
The deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu has been found in two more Nigerian states, the Agricultural Ministry said Thursday.
The strain has been confirmed at two farms in Kano state and one in adjoining Plateau state, said Tope Ajakaiye, a ministry spokesman.
The highly pathogenic strain of avian flu, found in Nigerian chickens, is the first time the strain has been found in Africa, the World Organization for Animal Health and the World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Wednesday.
Africa's first documented case was reported Wednesday in Nigeria's Kaduna state, bringing the total to three states.
According to an OIE news release, the first outbreak occurred in a commercial setting in the village of Jaji in the northern state of Kaduna.
Nigerian authorities quarantined the infected birds and began culling them. About 50,000 birds were affected, the organization said.
Nigerian Information Minister Frank Nweke Jr. said three farms were quarantined, one each in the states of Kaduna, Kano and Jos and that they could be out of operation for up to a year.
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