Ban on poultry partially lifted in Greater Accra

The Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr. Hannah Bissiw says the ban on movement of live poultry and poultry products in the Greater Accra Region has been partially lifted.

The decision, according to her, is as a result of the improvement in the bird flu situation in the country.

In May this year, an outbreak of the bird flu virus saw the destruction of over forty thousand birds in the Greater Accra, Central and Ashanti regions.

Speaking about the measures put in place by the ministry to further curb the spread of the flu, Dr. Bissiw said the veterinary service has intensified its surveillance to monitor the situation and also prevent the spread of the virus.

“We are doing the preventive, but we have something we call active surveillance that is what we are doing. After one year, then we drop into a passive surveillance that is when we have been declared free of bird flu by the international body,” she said.

She stressed on the need for poultry farmers to be very cautious in their dealings with their farm animals as the outbreak is highly contagious and deadly.

“Avian influenza is zoonotic, meaning it can affect humans. What we have now is not from human to human but from bird to human and usually will affect those who live with the animals on the farm”, she stated.

Avian influenza is a disease caused by infection with avian (bird) influenza (flu) Type A viruses. These viruses occur naturally among wild aquatic birds worldwide and can infect domestic poultry and other bird and animal species.

The minister further cautioned all poultry farmers to be mindful of the disease and take extra care of their poultry.

Aside the Greater Accra Region, Central and Ashanti Regions which were also affected by the outbreak still have a ban on the movement of live poultry and poultry products.

Meanwhile, government has paid about GH¢1.8 million to 25 farmers whose birds were destroyed following the bird flu outbreak in the country about six months ago.