5th February, 2016
Photo: REUTERS/Luc Gnago
Dr Shehu Bawa, the Director, Veterinary Services, state Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano that the birds were killed in 49 farms.
“We have killed over 340, 000 birds since the disease resurfaced in the state on Dec. 21, 2015.
“The birds were destroyed in 49 poultry farms across the state, “ Bawa said.
He disclosed that 10 additional samples were still at the National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI), Jos, awaiting confirmation.
Bawa regretted that inadequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) was hindering the activities of the department in the fight against the disease.
“The equipment is being used by health personnel to go into the affected farms to kill infected birds.
“It is against the WHO standard to kill the infected birds without wearing the PPE, “ he said.
According to him, the absence of the equipment has affected the operations of the department as the facility was not available even in the markets across the country.
The director called on the Federal Government to come to the aid of the state by providing the needed drugs and facilities to check the spread of the disease.
He, however, commended the Governments of Jigawa and Zamfara for assisting their Kano State counterpart with some of the PPE.