World Bank to check poultry on Avain Influenza in Nigerian State

LAGOS, June 19 -- The World Bank Avian Influenza Control Project in northern Nigeria's Yobe State said it had registered more than 234 poultry farmers as a surveillance team against the outbreak of the disease, according to the reports of the News Agency of Nigeria.

Iliyasu Maina, the desk officer of the project, said on Friday in Damaturu, the state capital that the registration was a strategy to monitor and check the attack of the diseases in the state.

Maina said 34 of the poultry farms in the state had been identified as potential risk areas with their variety of birds and other animals.

"It is our deliberate strategy to keep records and sustain the fight against the spread of the disease in the state," he said.

According to him, the office had also disinfected some communities, markets and poultry farms with sprayers to arrest the likely outbreak of the diseases.

He said as part of the surveillance strategy, the office had recently trained 17 local government desk officers on the new sprayer system to be carried out in selected markets in the 17 local government areas.

"We are providing the sprayers free of charge pending when farmers and marketers can afford the spray price next year," Maina said.

The desk officer described the fight against the disease as successful in the sate since its first discovery in Potiskum and Fika Local Government Areas in December 2006 and January 2007 respectively.

He said subsequently, there were reports of outbreaks in four areas of the state but which were later discovered to be a "Newcastle disease" similar to the influenza.

He said it was the first time in Nigeria an outbreak of disease was fought and finished within a short time and urged people to cooperate with the project for sustainable progress.