Bird Flu - a Danger Tamed By Awareness

As reported in this online newspaper, in response to the presence of bird flu, the federal government of Nigeria has responded to the breakout of the disease by instituting a National Emergency Preparedness and Response plan (NEPRP) and has put into motion some actions for the prevention and control of the disease, using the NEPRP as a basis. A strategic containment action plan was developed with support of international development partners. Nonetheless, the commercial poultry industry, supplying a popular staple to Nigerians, has suffered commercial losses since 2006, the initial outbreak of the disease.


The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) organised a journalist training and information workshop to provide evidence-based data and information on avian influenza and information specific to the Nigerian context. The workshop, according to this article, focused on creating the necessary awareness for the people and to sensitise them to preventive and precautionary measures to take to avoid the attack of the disease. Within the workshop structure was a trip to the poultry market in the Dugbe area of the city, where journalists were exposed to the practical operations of poultry sellers, buyers, and those who prepare chickens for consumption. Individual interviewees described their likelihood, while workshop presenters discussed points of possible exposure to the virus involved in the handling of poultry in the market setting. An interviewee explained precautions of hygiene and vaccination.


Professional advice on handling offered to the workshop participants includes: not raising poultry in residential areas or allowing children to handle chickens, using an apron and gloves to avoid direct contact with birds or bird droppings, burying or burning chicken remains (including intestines and other body parts), and cleaning the work area with detergent, as well as the areas where poultry are housed. The professional also recommended regular medical check ups for poultry handlers.


The article, though it states that there is no evidence at this time of sustained human-to-human transmission, raises the possibility of a pandemic. It concludes with a UNICEF recommendation for continuing to raise awareness of the disease and disease prevention measures, including an overall policy involving "slaughter of clinically affected poultry with full compensation, safe disposal of dead carcasses, adequate disinfection and decontamination and appropriate disease surveillance to determine the origin and extent of the disease, ...[b]ased on the risk analysis of [Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza] HPAI in Nigeria."