The Veterinary Service in Ghana destroyed 22,090 avian flu-infected birds in Sekondi-Takoradi in the Western Region, following an outbreak of bird flu on one poultry farm. The incident happened at the weekend, and the veterinary service acted promptly to prevent the spread of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) infections to other farms and humans. The owners of the farm will be compensated and sympathized over the economic loss and the psychological trauma they suffered due to the loss.
The poultry farmers in Sekondi-Takoradi are living in fear following the outbreak of bird flu, due to bitter experiences they had a couple of years ago when a similar outbreak happened. Some farmers have not yet recovered from the previous episode, while some have given up the poultry business. The farmers have adopted a bio-security measure, where they use a chemical called omnicide to disinfect before entering the coops.
The bird flu is a disease of viral origin that ranges from mild or even sometimes no symptoms to a very fatal disease of chicken, turkeys, guinea fowls, and wild birds. It is zoonotic, meaning that it can be transferred from birds to humans. The symptoms of bird flu in humans include fever, cough, sore throat, muscle aches, headache, and shortness of breath.