West Region: Bird Flu Disrupts Poultry Sector

Local authorities in the West Region of Cameroon have announced the presence of the Bird Flu disease in the Region, almost 5 years after it was last reported.

This was revealed in a communiqué signed by the Regional Delegate in charge of Livestock of the West Region.

Cameroon’s Minister of Livestock, Fisheries, and Animal Industries Dr. Taïga, following this development has proposed preventive measures to limit the spread of the flu.

Among other measures, livestock contaminated by this disease will be destroyed and buried under the control of veterinary services of the West Region.

Sanitary barriers will also be erected in the livestock farms, and access will be barred from unidentified personnel coming into them.

These measures according to the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries, and Animal Industries will protect and preserve the local poultry sector.

Since the last outbreak of the disease in 2016, most poultry farms are yet to recover from the financial implications.

According to estimates, close to 16 billion FCFA was lost by the poultry sector the last time the bird flu was discovered in the country.

Immediate handling of the situation will be ideal, given the West Region consist of over 80 percent of the country’s poultry sector.