Importing Bird Flu

Reuters reports that Nigeria has traced its bird flu outbreak to illegal poultry imports:

The virus known as H5N1 has spread to seven of the country's 36 states and the capital city since it was first detected in northern Nigeria on Feb. 8, but 90 percent of infected farms bought day-old chicks from one farm in Kano state, minister Frank Nweke said.
"There is a very strong basis to believe that avian flu may have been introduced into Nigeria through illegally imported day-old chicks," he said in a statement.
"Further investigations into the activities of farms where birds have tested positive to the highly pathogenic avian flu revealed that 90 percent of them patronised the Sovet Farms Ltd in Kano."
Customs agents impounded almost 200 smuggled cartons of hatching eggs at the country's main international airport in Lagos in January, he added.