The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Mohammad Abubakar, has declared that the federal government’s policy on ‘No Vaccination’ for control of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) otherwise known as ‘Bird Flu’ in the country has not changed.
Speaking at a media briefing on the persistent outbreaks of HPAI and the control measures in Nigeria, the minister insisted there would be no vaccination of poultry for now.
Rather, he said the ministry remained committed to the control and possible eradication of avian influenza in the country – and called on the development partners, individuals, and organisations to support the course to fight the disease, which has devasted the poultry industry and livelihood of farmers.
The minister said the current outbreak had been depleting the country’s poultry population with severe negative economic consequences on the livelihood of poultry farmers. He pointed out that following the resurgence of HPAI in 2014, poultry farmers and other stakeholders, who desperately wished to stop the cycle of the disease called for a reconsideration of the no-vaccination policy by the government. Source: This Day
