Africa braced itself for a possible bird flu epidemic after the deadly strain of the virus spread to at least four farms in northern Nigeria, the continent’s most populous country.
A spokesman for the Agriculture Ministry said that tests on chicken carcasses had identified the H5N1 type of avian influenza, which can kill human beings, on farms more than 150 miles apart in the northern states of Kanu and Plateau, raising fears that it would spread quickly to neighbouring states.
The long-feared arrival of bird flu on the world’s poorest continent, which has weak veterinary controls and poor health systems, brought teams of world experts to Nigeria.
As in South-East Asia, many Africans live in close proximity to poultry, which tend to range freely around villages. Experts said that the virus could be carried back to Europe if infected chickens came into contact with migratory birds.
In another development, Greek authorities said that three wild swans found dead near Thessaloniki had tested positive for an H5 flu strain. Tests are under way to establish if it was the H5N1 strain.