I ate eggs, chicken today – Deputy Agric Minister plays down bird flu virus

The Deputy Agricultural Minister, Dr Hannah Bissiw has played down the outbreak of bird flu by saying that she has eaten eggs and chicken.
Dr Bissiw was speaking in an exclusive interview with Joy News reporter.
The Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research of the UIniversity of Ghana confirmed the bird flu outbreak.
Already five out of six sample tests conducted by the Institute have proved positive for the bird flu virus. However, Dr Bissiw has said the Ministry has put in place measures to control the virus to avoid it getting out of hand.
The Minister said there are currently no emergency phone numbers to call but her outfit will make sure the virus do not go viral.
She advised poultry farmers to take off farm boots in front of their farms so visitors wouldn’t transfer the virus from one farm to another.
“I would as a matter of urgency caution poultry farmers to please put their farm boots in front of their farms, so not to transfer this virus and don’t just allow anybody to enter your farms too, because we are doing all we can to put the virus under control”.
Health alert
The Veterinary Services Directorate of Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) noted in a health alert issued in the last week of April that there has been outbreaks of avian influenza (bird flu) in a number of West Africa countries.
The statement, signed by the Acting Director of Veterinary Services, Dr Ben Aniwa, said the most recent one was reported to have occurred in March, 2015 in Burkina Faso, where a standstill order and other necessary measures have been initiated since  April 1, 2015.
The statement announced that veterinary officers in Ghana have started intensive disease surveillance in the Upper East and Upper West regions as well as the Volta Region
Meanwhile the Deputy Agricultural Minister pleaded with the general public not to live in fear as the Ministry is up to task of eradicating the virus.