The Gambia has announced a ban on all live chickens from neighbouring Senegal following an outbreak of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) Bird Flu in that country, APA learnt on Monday.
The Gambian Ministry of Agriculture says the ban comes into immediate effect and covers live poultry birds and products including chicken meat, and eggs from Senegal.
The ban also affects other countries where the same bird flu outbreak has been witnessed.
Senegal is still struggling to deal with the aftermath of an outbreak of the bird flu in the town of Thies, 67km east of the capital Dakar.
Some 58,000 chickens had died of the bird flu since January 7 while 42,000 more have been slaughtered in a desperate bid to curb the spread of the virus.
A statement from the Gambian Ministry of Agriculture says the ban on the importation of live chickens will only be lifted if the World Organisation for Animal Health certifies that the outbreak has been contained.
Gambian poultry farmers depend largely on the importation of live chickens from Senegal but the outbreak of this highly contagious disease has affected their activities.
WN/as/APA