Ghana culls thousands of chickens amid avian flu outbreak

ACCRA: Ghana has destroyed 4,500 chickens and restricted the movement of poultry after nearly 6,000 birds were found to have died of the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian flu, the country’s veterinary services director said on Saturday.

The birds originated from seven farms in Ghana’s greater Accra, Central and Volta regions, and poultry movement from those regions has been banned, veterinary director Patrick Abakeh told Reuters.

Ghana has also suspended poultry imports from Togo, Niger, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Mauritania and Senegal as a precaution, Abakeh said. Togo last month culled thousands of birds in response to its own H5N1 outbreak.

The cases mark Ghana’s fourth outbreak of avian flu since 2015.

About Avian Flu

Avian influenza virus occurs mainly in birds, is highly contagious among birds, and can be deadly, especially in domestic poultry.

Since December 2003, an Asian HPAI H5N1 virus has resulted in high mortality in poultry and wild birds in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa.

Asian HPAI H5N1 virus infections among domestic poultry have become common (endemic) in certain countries of the world. As of 2011, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization considered six countries to be endemic for Asian HPAI H5N1 virus in poultry (Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam)