People Falling Ill Near To Chickens With Bird Flu, Nigeria

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Main Category: Bird Flu / Avian Flu
Also Included In: Flu / Cold / SARS
Article Date: 11 Feb 2006 - 15:00 PDT

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Two people have fallen ill with flu-like symptoms near the Sambawa Farms, Kaduna, where chickens are infected with the lethal H5N1 Bird Flu virus strain. Nigerian authorities say they are trying to establish whether these two people have been infected with the bird flu virus.

A few days bird flu infection among chickens was confirmed in northen Nigeria, in the state of Kaduna. A couple of days later it spilled into bordering states.

Information given out by Nigerian authorities as to exactly how many people may have bird flu like symptoms is patchy. Some say there are two people, while others say there are 'a few' suspected cases.

An rumour that a human case of bird flu was found in the south of Nigeria. There is no confirmation on whether this is true.

At the moment the procedure for confirming bird flu infection is as follows:

1. A sample is taken.
2. It is sent to a lab in Nigeria.
3. If it tests negative, that is the end of it.
4. It it tests positive, it is then sent abroad for confirmation.

Bird flu has made its way from Viet Nam, in south east Asia, across the world to Nigeria, in west Africa. Africa is a vast continent. If the virus spills over into Sub-Saharan Africa, one of the poorest regions in the world with a population of 600 million people, it will be extremely difficult to monitor. Local health experts say it would be virtually impossible to ask people in Sub Saharan Africa, many of whom are facing starvation, to surrender their chickens for culling.

People in Europe are concerned about the coming of Spring, when birds migrate from Africa to Europe (and parts of Asia).

Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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