Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Godwin Afangideh, has alerted poultry farmers in the state to immediately report any case of bird flu disease to the ministry for prompt government intervention.

Afangideh, who was speaking with newsmen in Uyo at the weekend, said it had become necessary to alert the poultry farmers to be vigilant following reports of outbreak of the disease in neighboring Rivers and Cross River states.

The commissioner disclosed that the State Government has taken proactive measures to monitor and prevent any spread of the disease to Akwa Ibom. He said that his ministry had equally sensitised the poultry farmers on the need to monitor their farms, keep them clean and to cross-check sources of dead chicks.

“We are closely monitoring the situation, and if any such thing happens, it will be promptly taken care of,” he said.

News Express recalls that the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, had last week confirmed the outbreak of bird flu in seven states in the country, among them Ogun, Delta, Plateau and Lagos. He, however, assured that the Federal Government was “working hard to contain the outbreak of the disease successfully.”