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GHANA: POULTRY PRODUCTS FROM NIGERIA TO BE CONFISCATED February 10, 2006
Kizza Harajah
(SomaliNet) All poultry products to Ghana from bird flu infected Nigeria are to be confiscated by Ghana''s government . This was revealed by Dr Mensah Agyen-Frempong, Director of Ghana's Veterinary Service Department.
This follows the death of 150,000 birds from bird flu in Northern Nigeria. This decision follows the advice of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA).
Ghana has also put in place other measures to prevent the outbreak of the disease in the country. An emergency team of experts has been formed to deal with the situation as it comes. According to instructions, infected birds are to be killed and movement of people in the affected areas banned.
"We have dispatched veterinary officers across the country to educate poultry farmers and dealers in poultry products. We want to appeal to poultry farmers to watch out for such symptoms as blackening of the bird comb, swollen wattle, rickety legs, laying of eggs without shell, loss of appetite in birds and death within 48 hours and report them to the veterinary officer." said Dr. Agyen- Frempong. The affected farmers will be compensated. However, he does not know how migrating birds will be dealt with. "Our only fear now is about migrating water birds, believed to be the main carriers of the virus, whose movement cannot be restricted," he said.