Community measures : a key to highly pathogenic avian influenza control in developing nations

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.