The Head of Public Health at the Veterinary Services Directorate of Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Dr Bashiru Boye Kikimoto has advised Ghanaians to stop buying poultry products for at least one month.

Speaking on the AM Show on Monday, he said this will help curb the spread of the highly pathogenic Avian Influenza disease, also known as Bird Flu, which has been recorded in the Greater Accra, Central and Volta Regions.

“What is happening currently is that, the markets, the birds they sell there are old layers. You may be surprised that some of the birds may have been taken before the outbreak. But I advise that it is even not advisable now. It's better we all just sacrifice for the meantime, until the situation is under control and we get the news from the Veterinary Service that, it is safe to go anywhere in the market to buy poultry products. If we can cover our faces for almost two years because of Corona Virus, why can’t we just be hungry for one month?

“Currently, we are even lucky that there is Covid-19. If not, if you look at the way the borders dividing countries within West Africa are porous and these things started happening in neighboring West African countries like Nigeria, the disease could be here."

According to him, the relevant authorities have not been able to ascertain what may have caused the outbreak. They are however working around the clock to arrive at the source and make the necessary recommendations.

“We were trying hard to make sure it doesn’t get to into the country but you see this is a virus. Currently we will not be able to say that it is because of this or that. But we are making sure we get to the bottom of the source of the outbreak,” he told host, Mamavi Owusu Aboagye.

The Food and Agriculture Ministry through its Veterinary Services Directorate, has confirmed that the country has destroyed some 4,500 chickens and restricted the movement of poultry, after nearly 6,000 birds were found to have died of the highly pathogenic H5N1AVN flu.

The birds originated from seven farms in the Greater Accra, Central and Volta Region. As a result, poultry movement in those regions has been banned.

Poultry import has also been suspended from Niger, Togo, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Mauritania and Senegal as a precaution.