Bangladesh: Fresh outbreak of bird-flu in five districts

FE Report

The authorities have culled nearly 10,000 chickens and destroyed over 3,000 dozen eggs during the last 12 days following fresh outbreak of bird-flu in five districts of the country.

"We have detected avian influenza, known as H5N1, in four commercial farms and a household in five districts so far this month," a senior officer of the Fisheries and Live Stock Department (FLSD) told the FE Tuesday.

"Some 9,950 birds of the farms and the household and nearby areas of the country's western Natore, central Gazipur, eastern Narsingdi, and northern Gaibandha and Kurigram districts were culled since December 11," he said.

"We've taken special steps to stop further spreading of the bird flu. Farmers have been advised to adopt more preventive measures," he added.

The FLSD official said the department is yet to confirm the sources of fresh outbreak of the disease, but it may be due to the arrival of migratory birds carrying the virus, he said.

However, he said there is no report of human infection in Bangladesh until to date.

According to the Birds Flu Control Room opened at FLSD, the government has identified the bird flu in Narsingdi December 11 last. Around 3,580 chickens were culled and over 32,000 eggs were destroyed in Narsingdi and nearly 4440 chickens and 1898 eggs in Gazipur, 665 chickens and 1960 eggs in Natore, 128 chickens and 5 eggs in Kurigram and 817 chickens and 1200 eggs in Gaibandha until December 23.

Bangladesh Poultry Industries Association (BPIA) blamed the government for its failure to ensure the vaccination programme for protection against bird flu in the country and urged the government to take immediate steps to address the problem.

"We have requested the government to take proper steps to tackle the bird flu when it was first detected in 2007 but no steps were taken," said BPIA president Syed Abu Siddique told the FE.

He said BPIA is trying its best to control the H5N1 virus and it has sent some recommendations to the government for protection against the bird flu.

"We've requested the caretaker government to take immediate steps to stop the spread of bird flu to save our rural poultry farmers," said Abu Siddique, who is also managing director of Silver Carp Limited.

"Steps must be taken in advance for protection against the spread of H5N1 virus," said M M Khan, secretary general of BPIA.