Burkina Faso Bird Flu Outbreak: 500,000 Chickens Die Due to H1N1 Strain

Officials said a bird flu epidemic in Burkina Faso has resulted in the death of at least 500,000 hens.

In a Reuters report, Animal Resources Minister Moussa Kabore said that experts found a highly virulent H1N1 form of bird flu late last year at 42 farms scattered over seven districts in the country's central and western regions.

Bird Flu Strain At Suffolk Poultry Farm Confirmed As Infectious H5N1 — DISS, UNITED KINGDOM - NOVEMBER 13: DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) workers clear up dead turkey carcasses at Redgrave Park Farm where around 2,600 birds, including ducks and geese, are being slaughtered following the confirmed outbreak of the H5 strain of bird flu, on November 13, 2007 in Redgrave, Suffolk, near Diss, Norfolk, England. A 3km protection zone and a 10km surveillance zone has been established around the infected premises. Following further tests, DEFRA has announced at a press conference that this particular virus does contain the highly infectious H5N1 substrain of Aviation Influenza (the fourth outbreak H5N1 in the UK this year), which in rare cases can spread to other species, including humans. Jamie McDonald/Getty Images

Bird Flu Outbreak Hits Burkina Faso

Since the H5N1 strain swept the globe in 2006, South China Morning Post said consecutive bird flu outbreaks had struck Burkina Faso. In most cases, migrating birds have been blamed for the incident.

Livestock raising is one of Burkina Faso's most important sectors and the country's third-largest source of foreign cash after gold and cotton production. Poultry is especially popular, with many families raising hens for personal use or as a source of income.

Since December, the highly virulent avian flu type A has infected five industrial farms in southern Bulgaria.

The World Organisation for Animal Health has stated that a wave of bird flu in Asia and Europe poses more danger of transmitting to people due to a large number of variants.

ALSO READ : Avian Influenza Disease Outbreak Reported in Northern France; Local Authorities Say 2 Suspected Bird Flu Cases Were Detected

South African Region Tries to Combat Outbreak

Phys.org said the government had launched several initiatives to combat the sickness, including catching and testing sick or dead birds for the virus and monitoring areas where wild birds congregate for probable causes.

Kabore stated officials saw a significant death rate among chickens at our country's producing facilities around the end of December 2021. According to the minister, tests had verified the presence of H5N1 bird flu.

He added that around 500,000 birds had died from the sickness or been killed by January 7. CGTN said officials had destroyed 1.3 million cartons of eggs.

Hunter Kills Duck in South Carolina to 'Contain' Bird Virus

Meanwhile, officials discovered a duck killed by a hunter in South Carolina to contain an infectious and lethal bird virus that has not been spotted in the wild in the United States in five years.

The US Department of Agriculture sent a warning to international health experts. Officials claimed per Phys.org that they discovered scattered Eurasian H5 illnesses in 2022 from Portugal to Bulgaria and found two cases in eastern Canada in December.

State veterinary surgeon Michael J Neault, who oversees Clemson University's Livestock Poultry Health program, stated that everybody who has poultry, even home farms, should assess their policies to keep birds safe from disease.

According to Neault, officials have no evidence that (the flu) has spread from wild migratory birds to poultry. They would prefer to maintain it that way, Neault added.