Ghana has placed a ban on the importation of all poultry products from countries to the east of Ghana including Nigeria, Mensah Agyen-Frempong, Director of Ghana's Veterinary Service Department (VSD), was quoted by Ghana News Agency (GNA) as saying on Thursday.

By implication any poultry product being brought into the country from these countries, irrespective of the origin, by any person or organization, would be confiscated, he said.

The ban followed reports of the detection of a high pathogenic bird flu virus in the Northern State of Kaduna, Nigeria, where 150, 000 birds were reported dead with about 40 percent of poultry farms infected.

Agyen-Frempong told the GNA in an interview that the decision to impose the ban was taken by the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) upon the advice of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture ( MOFA).

He said an Early Response Team had also been constituted in waiting to provide emergency service in the event of detection of symptoms of the disease in any part of the country.

Agyen-Frempong said the Early Response Team had been instructed and given the authority to destroy all birds with symptoms of the disease, disinfect the environment in which they were found and stop the movement of people in the area.

Agyen-Frempong explained that the virus existed in the fecal matter and nostril excreta of the birds, which usually got mixed up with the other litter on the poultry farm.

He said early detection of symptoms in humans could be treated with anti-viral drugs.

"Our only fear now is about migrating water birds, believed to be the main carriers of the virus, whose movement cannot be restricted," he said.

Bird flu is a deadly strain of a virus that attacks poultry birds and kills them after a short period.

The deadly H5N1 bird flu strain can kill humans and has killed at least 88 people in Asia and the Middle East since 2003.

Experts have expressed fears that an outbreak in Africa could pose a serious threat given the already weak public health systems and the fact that many rural people live close to chickens and other poultry.

Source: Xinhua