A highly pathogenic strain of bird flu has reached the African continent, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) has reported.

|PIC1|The office of President Olusegun Obasanjo also confirmed the discovery of the disease.

World veterinary experts yesterday have raced to help Nigeria contain a bird flu outbreak, as the deadly H5N1 virus was confirmed as arriving in Africa.

As news spread across the world that the deadly virus had reached the world’s poorest continent, the world was put on full alert. Extreme concern has been given following the announcement, as it is feared unless the virus is halted quickly, the continent’s weak veterinary controls and under-funded health systems would give rise to the virus easily spreading from infected birds to humans.

Just as in south-east Asia where the H5N1 has destroyed huge amounts of flocks and caused some deaths since it emerged in 2003, in north Nigeria, where the outbreak was found, many people live in close proximity to poultry.

In Africa, chicken is the main, and often only, source of protein and there are fears that owners might be hesitant to report disease outbreaks.

European Authorities have been quick to begin assessments on the risk to Europe from migrating birds that make the journey north from west Africa in the spring. However, the extent of the threat posed by migration spreading the virus is disputed.

|TOP|Movements of poultry, traded exotic and other birds and of people are all possible factors, explain the Guardian newspaper.

The British Department for Environment (Defra) in London has claimed that while the risk of a further global spread of the virus was high, the chances of it arriving in Britain were still low. However, new assessments are currently taking place.

The news of the bird flu outbreak in Nigeria has come at the same time as rumours of the virus being present in Iraq.

Worldwide, 88 of the 165 people confirmed as being infected with the avian virus have died.

However, even though the threat to Britain seems to remain small at present, the world looks to Africa, where if the virus mutates into something that can spread easily to humans, then it could potentially kill millions, report the Guardian.

|AD|On the farm where the outbreak was confirmed more than 40,000 of the birds have died out of the 46,000 that were there originally.

The World Organisation for Animal Health, known as OIE, said it would take immediate action and a team of experts was being sent to the affected area to help the national authorities.

One of the experts, Alex Thiermann explained, “The significance is that it's a completely new continent we are looking at.”

Thiermann quickly praised the quick response of the Nigerian authorities, which has included culling, quarantine, as well as controls on animal movements and disinfection.

It is thought that the virus has managed to reach Nigeria, as the country is on a major migration flyway.

Surrounding countries have also been put on full alert, and random surveys are being carried out to keep notice of the bird life.

An assessment by Defra experts three weeks ago concluded: “Preliminary discussions indicate that there is not much reliable information on bird migration or mixing within Africa. It is however reasonable to expect that birds will follow established routes: that is, birds that have migrated to east Africa will return over eastern Europe to their breeding grounds in southern Siberia, while the birds from west Africa will return over the Mediteranean basin to their breeding grounds in north Russia.”