An outbreak of H5N1 bird flu in some states poultry farms has been detected in four more states, raising the total of affected states to 11, the agricultural and rural development minister stated on Thursday.
Nigeria popularly known as Africa's most populous country and biggest economy was the first country on the continent to detect bird flu, in year 2006 when chicken farms were found to have the H5N1 strain. Also in 2007, Nigeria recorded its first human death from the disease.
"At the time of my briefing the nation on January 21, 2015, seven states had reported cases of the bird flu. As of yesterday, a total of 11 states have reported positive cases," Minister Akinwumi Adesina said at an emergency meeting with state agricultural commissioners in the capital Abuja.
The recent bird flu outbreak was reported in mid-January in the states of Kano and Lagos. However, the worst-hit state is Kano in the north where 136,905 birds were exposed with a 13 percent mortality rate.
The other states affected are Ogun, Rivers, Delta, Edo, Plateau, Gombe, Imo, Oyo and Jigawa.
Adesina said the federal government plans to compensate farmers with 145 million naira ($763,150), or about 1,450 naira ($7.63) per lost bird, within the next three days.
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