Health officials in Nigeria are fighting an uphill battle against bird flu amid fears from the UN that the virus could spread across Africa, devastating the region’s poultry industry and endangering millions of people.

The deadly H5N1 strain was first confirmed in a commercial farm in northern Nigeria last week, and subsequently detected in nearby farms. However many rural farmers in the vicinity claim their fowl have been dying for weeks. The outbreak of bird flu in Nigeria is the first known appearance in Africa of the virus which has already killed over 90 people, mostly in Asia.