Bird Flu spreads to 4 more Nigerian states

An outbreak of avian influenza, aka bird flu, in Nigeria has now spread to four more states in the country, the Minister of Agriculture, Akinwumi Adesina, has said.

The minister stated on Wednesday, January 28, that cases of the disease had now been recorded in 11 states in the country.

"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,” Adesina said.

“We will do everything to ensure that we protect our poultry industry from this particular situation,” he added.

The disease was first recorded in Kano and Lagos before spreading to Ogun, Rivers, Delta, Edo, Plateau, Gombe, Imo, Oyo and Jigawa.

Adesina added that the government had set aside N145 million to compensate farmers whose birds had been culled.