Benin confirms H5N1 avian flu outbreak

Virus detected in two districts near the country’s capital, Porto Novo, agriculture ministry says.

Benin has identified an outbreak of the highly contagious H5N1 avian flu in two districts near the capital Porto Novo, the agriculture ministry says. On Wednesday, Benin became the latest West African country to declare an avian flu outbreak, after Ivory Coast identified the disease last week near its commercial capital Abidjan. Cases have also been detected this year in Ghana, Togo, Niger, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Mauritania and Senegal.