Gambian health officials have warned that the new bird flu outbreak in Senegal could infect humans as they put in measures to suppress the virus reaching the country.

Since the declaration of the health emergency in Senegal last week, the state has formed a committee comprising of officials from the Ministry of Agriculture’s Livestock Department and the National Disaster Management Agency to deter the virus destroying The Gambia’s poultry industry. 

Dr Ousman Ceesay, deputy director general of Livestock Department told reporters: “it is very important to note that it is an enzootic disease [and] it can be transmitted to humans.”

But he said transmission of human-to-human “is not efficient” saying “it is practically well for now.”

Dr Ceesay said the infection destroys poultry industry, adding it could seriously destroy the country’s poultry industry if it gets into the country.

“The poultry industry will be severely affected because it will kill a lot of birds,” he said.

The bird flu outbreak, which occurred in the Thies region east of the capital Dakar, has killed 58,000 birds in the 100,000-strong flock, with the remaining animals culled, Senegal’s veterinary services said. 

Reporting by Adama Makasuba