The Lagos State Government (LASG) has advised poultry farmers to put in place biosecurity measures in their poultry to prevent any outbreak of avian influenza (Bird flu) in the state.

Commissioner for Agriculture, Abisola Olusanya, gave the advice on Saturday while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

Ms. Olusanya was reacting to the outbreak of bird flu in some parts of the country and the level of preparedness in the state.

She said that the state government was aware of the development and is on the alert to prevent any outbreak.

Ms. Olusanya said that poultry owners had been given safety tips to observe before entering their farms and urging them to adhere to them.

The commissioner also said that veterinary doctors had been directed to move around the poultry pens to ensure that there is no outbreak of bird flu and in case of any, they can act quickly to curtail the spread.

“Our veterinary doctors are also moving around to check and to ensure that there are no outbreak yet, so that if there is an outbreak, they can quickly curtail it before it spreads to other poultry.

NAN reports that Dr Olaniran Alabi, the Director of Veterinary and Pest Control Services at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Abuja, had on February 11 announced the resurgence of the virus after two years.

The statement from the ministry said that the outbreak had been reported in two states: Kano State and Plateau.

According to the statement, the outbreak occurred in two backyard poultry farms of multiple species: ostriches, geese, turkeys, layers, and peacocks in Kano state.

It also said that within one week, some outbreaks were confirmed in two commercial farms in the state and another in Jos, Plateau.

“This indicates that the disease is rapidly spreading to other states and that there was the need to put in place proactive measures to curtail further spread,” the statement said.

The director in the statement recommended that all states of the federation including the FCT should embark on full activation of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) emergency preparedness plan (EPP) in the states.

“Enforcement of movement control of poultry and poultry products from affected to non-affected states.

“Sensitisation of poultry farmers and other value chain operators on basic biosecurity and hygiene measures for prevention and control of the disease.

“Separation of live bird markets (LBMs) for poultry from the LBMs for domestic fowls and other bird species such as: duck, captive wild water birds.

“Also sustained and vigorous disinfection of the live bird market in the states,” the statement said.

It urged all the state and the FCT directors to be on the alert with intensified bio-security measures to avert the spread of the deadly disease.

(NAN)