The Sissala East Municipal Department of Agriculture has announced the outbreak of Avian Influenza, otherwise known as Bird Flu, at Tumu in the Upper West Region.

"On 3rd September, 2021, bird carcasses sent to the Accra Veterinary Laboratory tested positive for Avian Influenza from a commercial poultry farm in Tumu, Sissala East Municipality," it said.

A statement issued and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) by Mr Eric Tergu, the Sissala East Municipal Veterinary Officer, said the farm had been quarantined and biosecurity had been strengthened.

It said depopulation and disinfection of the farm was underway and that additional control measures being implemented included ban on movement in and out of the farm.

The statement said veterinary staff in the Municipality had also intensified surveillance for the disease and expressed confidence that stakeholders would collaborate with the Veterinary Services to prevent its spread.

Bird Flu is a viral zoonotic disease of chicken, turkey, guinea fowl, and other avian species, especially migratory waterfowl.

The disease is of public health importance because it can affect human beings as well.

Socio-economically it causes heavy losses in affected commercial poultry farms due to its ability to cause high morbidity and mortality.

Ghana had outbreaks of Avian Influenza in 2007, 2015, 2016 and 2018.

This year's outbreak has affected the Volta, Greater Accra, Central, Ashanti, Western and Western North regions and now the Upper West Region.