H5N1 In and Around Dhaka Bangladesh

Recombinomics Commentary 17:42
December 14, 2008


Bangladesh has released a Ministries of Fisheries and Livestock bird flu update, dated December 13, 2008. Comparison of farms culled before December 3, 2008 to the latest update identifies three new cullings in the past 10 days, which are in Narsingdhi, Pallabi, and Dharmrai. All three locations are in or around Dhaka (see satellite map).

Three outbreaks in the Dhaka area (including Pallabi, which is in Dhaka) this early in the season are cause for concern. There had been rumors of H5N1 in multiple locations in Bangladesh, which is confirmed in the reports of December 3 and 13. Dhaka is near Tripura, which reported outbreaks in the spring of 2008 and has recently issued an alert raising concerns of H5N1 infections from Bangladesh.

Moreover, the only confirmed human H5N1 case in Bangladesh or India was a child from the slums of Dhaka, who recovered earlier this year. Assam has reported as many as 150 symptomatic patients earlier, but the December 11 Ministry of Health report included 70 patients hospitalized in Rampur, as well as 90 URI cases in Barpeta.. Concerns have been increased by reports of four symptomatic cullers in Chirang.

The rapid spread of H5N1 in Assam and increases in the number of symptomatic patients, coupled with three outbreaks in and around Dhaka, Bangladesh are causes for concern.