Gambia confirms H5N1 bird flu outbreak

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) – Gambia has confirmed an outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu.

The outbreak was detected at the Tanji Bird Reserve after laboratory tests following the deaths of wild birds, the Agriculture Ministry said Thursday.

“The samples which were collected during the investigation were sent to the National Laboratory for Livestock and Veterinary Research in Dakar, Senegal on April 1 and were found to be positive for HPAI (highly pathogenic avian influenza) of the type H5N,” the ministry said in a statement.

The government assured that relevant institutions are closely working together to help reduce the infection pressure at the wild bird level as well as to prevent the spillover to poultry, which could pose a more serious threat to public health.

It also cautioned the public against touching any sick or dead wild birds and to report suspected cases to relevant authorities.

All poultry farmers have been advised to heighten their biosecurity measures at their farms to minimize the risk of spreading the disease to poultry.

“The government through its relevant ministries and partners is very much concerned about this latest development and will do everything possible to control the outbreak at the wild bird level as well as prevent the spread from spilling over to poultry,” the statement said.

The outbreak in Gambia came days after Senegal reported an outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu at a poultry farm in the village of Potou near the northwestern town of Louga.

Avian influenza, or bird flu, has been spreading around the world in the past year, killing more than 200 million birds, according to the World Organization for Animal Health. The outbreaks can heavily impact the poultry industry, the health of wild birds and farmers' livelihoods as well as international trade.