Health authorities reported Wednesday an outbreak of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus in Nigeria´s northern state of Zamfara, the official NAN news agency said.

The virus was confirmed through tests on affected birds in Namaturu village and more than 200 birds had been culled to curtail the spread of the disease, said Aminu Abdulrazak from the state health ministry.

The whole area had been disinfected and villagers had been advised to follow advice from doctors on the matter, he added.

Nigeria, Africa´s most populous nation with some 140 million people, earlier this year reported west Africa´s first human bird flu death.

A 22-year-old woman died in Lagos on January 17 weeks after plucking and disembowelling a chicken.