Conference Abstract | Volume 9, Abstract 054 (ConfProc7) | Published: 30 Jun 2026
Norbert Asimbalaam Appiah1,&, Zakariah Adams2, Samuel Dapaa1, Simon Effah Adjei2 Ransford Okornor3, Dominic Yeboah2, Dora Pakindam4, Godwin Courage Addae2, Simon Adjei Effah2, Rita Asante1, Henry Nii Ayi Anang3, Abdul-Salam Moro3, Eric Agongo3, Louis Jean Piu4 , Ernest Kenu1
1Ghana FELTP, University of Ghana, School of Public Health, Accra, Ghana, 2Ghana Health Service, Upper East Region, Ghana, 3Veterinary Service Directorate, Upper East Region, Ghana, 4Environmental Health Service, Upper East Region, Ghana.
&Corresponding author: Norbert Asimbalaam Appiah; Ghana Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme, University of Ghana School of Public Health, Accra, Ghana, Email: norbertappiah100@yahoo.com
Received: 22 Aug 2025, Accepted: 28 Oct 2025, Published: 30 Jun 2026
Domain: Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Keywords: Avian Influenza, Outbreak, Investigation, Bolgatanga, Poultry Farm
©Norbert Asimbalaam Appiah et al. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health (ISSN: 2664-2824). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Cite this article: Norbert Asimbalaam Appiah et al. Investigation of a suspected Avian Influenza in a poultry farm at Zaare, Bolgatanga Municipality, Upper East Region, 2024. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2026;9(ConfProc7):054. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO7-0054
Avian Influenza (AI) is a highly infectious viral disease of poultry in Ghana, that threatens public health due to its zoonotic potential. Its high mortalities disrupt livelihoods and poultry production, highlighting the need for One Health collaboration. On 22nd, August 2024, the Bolgatanga Municipal Veterinary Officer was notified of sudden bird deaths in a poultry farm at Zaare, Bolgatanga Municipality. We investigated to confirm the source, the magnitude, the risk factors and then implemented control measures.
We conducted a cross-sectional study using the One Health approach to investigate the outbreak farm and four other farms within a 2-kilometer radius. We carried out interviews, active case searches, environmental assessments and field observations of clinical signs. We collected 20 samples comprising blood, tracheal and cloacal swabs from five live birds and five dead birds’ tracheal sections for laboratory confirmation of AI virus using Real-Time RT-PCR. We analyzed data descriptively using Microsoft Excel.
A total of 138 birds were affected, with 53.6% (74/138) showing clinical signs suggestive of AI, and mortality and case fatality rates of 32.6% (45/138) and 60.8% (45/74) respectively. Laboratory result was negative for AI, but the farm had a confirmed AI outbreak with 200 bird mortalities in 2022. All four poultry farmers were aware of AI and reported no sudden mortalities. The affected birds were eight weeks old, fully vaccinated but appeared anaemic and were not isolated from the healthy flock. Farm biosecurity was poor, no footbaths and handwashing stations, dirty pen littered with droppings, crude waste disposal practices and inadequate record keeping.
Laboratory tests ruled out AI; however, field observations indicated Infectious Bursal Disease (Gumboro disease), linked to vaccine failure, poor biosecurity, gross lesions and age susceptibility. Disinfection, supplementation and improved biosecurity effectively controlled the outbreak, highlighting the need for regular quarterly veterinary inspection.
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