The World Health Organization is expected to make a pronouncement today on what is suspected to be Ghana’s first case of avian influenza, otherwise known as bird flu.

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

Officials of the Veterinary Services Department have since Monday bee investigating a case in Tema where some birds are suspected to have died from the virus.

Preliminary tests by veterinary officials suggest Ghana might be recording its first case of the virus. The officials however said a confirmation is required from the WHO laboratory in Italy before any such conclusion can be reached.

The case of suspected bird flu was discovered on a small poultry farm along the Tema Akosombo road.

A specimen collected from the farm has already been sent for further analysis with the results expected later on Wednesday. Officials of the Veterinary Department spent almost the whole of Tuesday investigating farms and poultry within the environs of the first suspected case to ensure there had been no further spread.

If confirmed, Ghana will be the latest country in the sub-region to have the virus. All of Ghana’s neighbors have already reported cases of bird flu infection.

Nigeria, Niger and Egypt are the other countries in Africa with reported cases.

An emergency news conference on the bird flu situation in the country is scheduled for this afternoon. It will be addressed by the Ministers of Health and Agriculture, the Director of Public Health and the WHO country representative.

“H5N1” the deadly strain of Avian Influenza is highly contagious among birds, and can be deadly to them. The virus does not usually infect people, but infections with these viruses have occurred in humans.

Most of these cases have however resulted from people having direct or close contact with infected poultry or contaminated surfaces.