Bird flu: We’ll stick to no-vaccination policy, says FG as farmers call for reconsideration

The federal government says it will stick to its no-vaccination policy for the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) also known as bird flu in the country.

Vaccination of birds against avian influenza is currently banned in Nigeria under the federal government’s “no-vaccination policy”.

Speaking on Thursday at a news conference in Abuja, Mohammad Abubakar, minister of agriculture and rural development, said bird flu has been depleting the poultry population of the country with severe negative economic consequences on the livelihood of Nigerian poultry farmers.

The minister said following the resurgence of HPAI in 2014, poultry farmers and other stakeholders, who desperately wished to stop the cycle of the disease called for a reconsideration of the no-vaccination policy.

Abubakar said because the calls have resurfaced again for the same reasons, the ministry set up a ministerial committee to fashion out a solution.

“The committee which was inaugurated by my permanent secretary, Ernest Umakhihe, on my behalf on January 24 met for two days in Nasarawa state,” NAN quoted him as saying.

“After due consideration of scientific and socio-economic evidence available to the committee on merits and demerits of vaccination on no vaccination, the committee recommended that the country should stick to the no-vaccination policy for now.

“Though the committee noted that the country might want to change her policy to vaccinate against HPAI in the future.

“It recommends some activities to be carried out before considering the option of vaccination against HPAI as a policy for the country.”

Abubakar said these activities include updating the identification and characterisation of circulating HPAI virus strains in Nigeria and updating prevalence and associated risk factors among others in the country.

He added that the ministry is committed to the control and possible eradication of avian influenza in Nigeria.

Experts are said to have argued that if the policy is scrapped, control would be difficult and could result in an influx of poor vaccines, virus mutation issues, and the rise of resistant strains.

Meanwhile, 299 farms in 28 states and the federal capital territory (FCT) were reportedly affected by an outbreak of bird flu as of January 6, 2023.