Abstract:
Avian influenza, a transboundary poultry
disease of great economic importance, has
been ravaging the poultry industry worldwide
since the 1950s. The virus usually
occurs as waves of epizootics in the poultry
industry causing fatality and disruption in
trade both locally and internationally. That
the virus has the ability to mutate in the
avian host has limited effort to control the
pathogen. The current wave of outbreaks
starting in mid to late 2003 has led to the
death of hundreds of millions of poultry
flock worldwide in addition to death of
other bird and animal species.
The rapidity and mode of spread of the
virus is daunting, and epizootiologists as
well as authorities are still at a crossroad on
the best combination of effective control
measures. Surveillance, biosecurity, stamping
out, and vaccination are the best available and generally acceptable methods of
controlling the disease. While several countries
are still undecided whether to adopt
vaccination as a control strategy, the highly
pathogenic notifiable form of avian influenza
continues to ravage the poultry industry.
In countries with outbreaks, the virus
spreads so fast that almost whole chicken
populations in affected regions are wiped
out. This study review the outbreaks in
Nigeria, sero-surveillance studies and diagnostics
carried out during the outbreaks, and
strategies adopted by a community at high
risk in the wave of outbreaks in Nigeria to
prevent it from being infected. These data
are presented as a good measure for developing
economies in view of similarities in
the poultry sectors.
