Research institute confirms bird flu in Ghana

The Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research of the University of Ghana, Legon, has confirmed the outbreak of bird flu in Ghana, local media reported Thursday.

The state-run Daily Graphic said five out of six sample tests conducted by the institute had proved positive for the bird flu virus.

A Research Fellow, Dr Kofi Odoon, who confirmed this to local radio - Joy FM - said the samples were received on May 15, 2015, from two farms located in Achimota and Tema.

The virus for now is said to be from bird to bird, Odoon said, but added that the Institute was yet to conduct tests on the handlers of those birds to confirm whether or not the virus had been transferred from birds to humans.

He said there was no cause for alarm at least for now but advised poultry farmers to keep their farms clean and report as soon as possible strange behavior by their birds.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Agriculture Minister, Dr Hannah Bissiw, has warned poultry farmers not to eat affected birds.

She further directed that birds which die in various farms must be sent to the veterinary services for investigation, and advised travelers to neighboring countries not to import the birds.

Avian influenza (AI), commonly called bird flu, is an infectious viral disease of birds.

Most avian influenza viruses do not infect humans; however some, such as A(H5N1) and A(H7N9), have caused serious infections in people.

The majority of human cases of A(H5N1) and A(H7N9) infection have been associated with direct or indirect contact with infected live or dead poultry. Endi