Dr Paul Polkuu, National Epidemiologist in charge of Prevention and Control, has disclosed that the Veterinary Services Department had not received any new reported case of bird flu outbreak since August 10 this year.
The last recorded outbreak was reported at Weija in the Greater Accra Region.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in an interview after a training workshop for Veterinary Doctors and Officers in Kumasi, Dr Polkuu gave the assurance that the disease was currently under control.
He said both passive and active surveillance were on-going countrywide, to ensure early detection for immediate remedial action to control the possible spread of the disease.
He said, however, that the ban on the movement of poultry and poultry products from infected areas was still in force, and warned that any farmer moving poultry from one infected area to the other, must have a movement permit from the Veterinary Service.
Dr Polkuu pointed out that it was in the interest of the Service to see poultry farmers return to normal business, but indicated that; �there is no sense in lifting the ban when we are not sure of the situation."
"The ban can be lifted when all surveillance proof negative across the country�.
He indicated, therefore, that in addition to the on-going surveillance, the Department was engaged in capacity building workshops to equip officers with the needed knowledge about the disease, its control and prevention.
He disclosed that government had provided the Department with five pick-ups and 20 motorbikes, which the office was using for the control of diseases like avian influenza and other diseases of any public health and economic importance.
He explained that Highly Pathogenic (HP) H5N1 reported in domestic poultry, wildlife, and human populations since 1996 and its risk of infection, was by direct contact with infected birds (humans) and contaminated feed, water, air (birds), adding that, the mode of H5N1 spread from Asia to Europe, Africa and the Far East and the Americas, was unclear.
The disease has risk factors such as legal and illegal poultry and exotic bird trade and migratory bird movements have been documented.
Countries in Africa affected by the disease are Egypt, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Niger, Ivory Coast and Ghana.
Dr Polkuu said since the outbreak, 13 districts in the Ashanti Region were affected, 10 in Greater-Accra, two in Volta, with a total of 23 farms affected.
Since the occurrence of the disease, a total of 23,987 birds have died, 40,154 destroyed, and 64,141 are susceptible.
Dr Ben Aniwa, Acting Director of the Veterinary Services Department, disclosed that Parliament had approved government�s compensation package for farmers who were affected by the disease.
He said compensation would be based on the prevailing market price of the birds at the time they were destroyed � day old chicks, layers, cockerels and pullets will attract 90 per cent of the market price.
Dr Aniwa advised farmers to take bio-security measures seriously to reduce the incidence of the disease.
He expressed the hope that farmers would insure their businesses against any such future occurrence.
The workshop was sponsored by the Food and Agriculture Organization.
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