YAOUNDE, Feb. 10 (Xinhuanet) -- African countries have stepped up efforts to prevent the further spread of bird flu after the World Organization for Animal Health on Wednesday announced appearance of the H5N1 strain of bird flu in Nigeria.

    Cameroon, Angola, Benin, South Africa, Mauritania and several other African countries have already imposed bans on Nigerian poultry and related products, and increased their surveillance measures.

    Cameroon's Health Minister Urbain Olanguena Awono said his country shares with Nigeria a 1,200 km-long borderline and emergency measures must be put in place. Cameroon has already suspended poultry trade near the border and intensified monitoring efforts, he added.

    Angola, aware of the risk to public health, has banned imports of poultry products from affected countries since last October. An Agriculture Ministry official said the country was working out a nationwide program aimed at preventing possible outbreaks.

    The Benin government ordered on Friday the immediate reporting of any suspected poultry death to relevant departments and intensified surveillance along the border.

    Besides, an integrated emergency response system has also been put into place in the country.

    Some other countries including Senegal, Ghana, Gabon and Cote d'Ivoire have also said they will enhance their monitoring capability to bring the risk of bird flu to a minimum.

    The first case of bird flu in Africa was spotted on a chicken farm in northern Nigeria on Wednesday and it was later confirmed to be of the deadly H5N1 strain. Enditem