Cameroonian authorities are concerned about the bird flu outbreak in neigbouring Nigeria.

Reports say authorities have instructed the Directorate General of Customs to beef up security along its border after reports of a bird flu outbreak in Nigeria. According to a statement on Saturday, a letter to that effect has been sent to the Customs DGD Fongod Edwin Nuvaga warning of “a risk of bird flu epidemic on chicks and contaminated eggs imported from Nigeria.”

On the basis of this, the Customs DG has requested customs officials to collaborate with heads of border posts to “seize and destroy chicks and eggs imported from Nigeria without authorization.”

The instruction comes from the ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries (MINEPIA).

According to the head of the customs branch of Adamaoua, “the instruction from the Customs DG is being implemented since the security measures were strengthened in Banyo, Tignère and at the border with the Northern Region.”

In 2017, Cameroon witnessed an epizootic of bird flu with hundreds of poultry decimated in the western regions, Adamaoua and the central region, incurring an estimated loss of CFA16 billion.