Cote d'Ivoire began slaughtering poultry in the Abidjan markets
on Sunday after the deadly H5N1 bird flu was confirmed in the west
African country.
The state television broadcast footage of the economic capital's
Marcory and Treichville markets culling and incinerating poultry,
with cages being disinfected.
The massive slaughter came after neighboring Ghana on Wednesday
banned the importation of live birds, poultry and poultry products
as well as poultry feed from Cote d'Ivoire, which on the same day
confirmed several outbreaks in wild birds and poultry.
Cote d'Ivoire also vowed to quarantine the infected area and
restrict poultry movements in the country, after the Paris-based
World Organization for Animal Health announced last week that it
had detected the first bird flu case in Abidjan.
Cote d'Ivoire was among the seven African nations, mostly in the
western part of the continent, to have reported the disease. Since
it hit Nigeria on Feb. 8, Egypt, Niger, Cameroon, Burkina Faso and
Sudan have also found the outbreaks.
H5N1, a highly pathogenic strain, causes widespread fatality of
poultry and serious economic damage. It can also be transmitted to
humans by direct contact with infected live poultry. Since late
2003, the H5N1 virus has caused more than 100 human deaths, mainly
in Asia.
(Xinhua News Agency May 8, 2006)
