PARIS (Reuters) – Niger has reported the highly contagious H5N1 strain of avian influenza, or bird flu, amongst poultry in a village within the south of the country, the Paris-based World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) said on Tuesday.
The outbreak within the south of the Tahoua region killed most of a 4,920-strong flock, with the remaining birds slaughtered, the WOAH said in a note, citing information from the Niger authorities.
The outbreak of the virus, the primary in Niger since July 2021, occurred in poultry ordered from the Zinder region by a neighborhood non-governmental organisation, WOAH added.
Parts of Africa have been affected by an unprecedented global wave of bird flu infections previously 12 months, which has led to the death of greater than 100 million birds in Europe and the US alone.
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(Reporting by Gus Trompiz; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
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