The Volta Regional Directorate of the Veterinary Services is intensifying bio-security measures to deal with the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza disease, also known as Bird Flu, in the Region.

The move is to prevent the spread of the virus after a poultry farm at Denu in the Ketu South Municipality of the Region recorded the disease on July 4, this year.

Volta Regional Director of the Veterinary Services, Dr Patrick Adzodzi Akandi, told the Ghana News Agency that the Directorate was activating all necessary preventive mechanisms to tackle the situation.

He said the affected farm was disinfected as part of measures to curtail the spread of the virus and the farmers were advised not to allow people into the farm or visit friends.

Dr Akandi said the Directorate was closely monitoring the rest of the birds on the farm and that their samples were taken to Veterinary Services Laboratory in Accra for diagnosis.

He said the Directorate was committed and determined to ensure that the disease was eradicated from the region and urged poultry farmers to quickly inform the office if they had any sign of the virus on their farms.

The Director advised farmers not to handle dead birds with bare hands to prevent infection and asked the citizens to ensure that any meat they wanted to eat was well cooked.

Dr Akandi said there was no cause for alarm as the situation was being handled by experts and called on the public not to panic.