April 13: Bird Flu has once again struck and this time in more than 16 farms at Savar district, Bangladesh. The livestock has been reported as being affected from March 22, 2007. Bangladesh government has ordered to check all poultry farms in the Savar area and demanded to cull the birds if necessary. “Bangladesh government has halted the export and import of the chickens and eggs from India and strictly banned the 10 sq km (3.9 sq miles) area around the affected farms,� an official of the fisheries and livestock ministry said today. No human death has been confirmed so far.
According to an official: “So far the avian flu has spread in 16 farms across five districts, and more than 60,000 birds have been culled. There is no confirmation about any human death. People have been warned about the disease and advised to prepare any dish with poultry and eggs, above 70 degree Celsius, to kill the virus. WHO has appealed to the farm owners to provide special gear for their workers and staff which can be worn while handling the infected birds.
The H5N1 flu virus had killed more than one thousand people around the globe since 1997 and more than ten crore chickens have been culled so far. The workers of the poultry farms are under constant screening and regular health checks are being observed. More than 30 workers have been monitored as infected persons during check ups. Their blood and other samples have been tested in the local laboratory in Dhaka. Earlier one hundred workers were released after screening, no infection was found in them. More than 10,000 farms containing 1.1 millions birds had been inspected so far.
Estimates reveal that about 3.5 million people indulge in poultry sector in Bangladesh, with a sum as huge as US $833 millions, which makes a good portion of Bangladesh’s GDP.
|
|
Comments:
