February 14, 2008

Another Bangladesh district hit by bird flu

Bird flu has spread to another Bangladesh district, bringing the number of affected districts to 41, despite efforts to control the disease.

Health workers culled close to 1,100 fowls after sample tests confirmed that some chickens had died from the bird flu in western Meherpur, livestock officials said.

The government has increased compensation for poultry farmers to encourage them to report and kill sick birds. Nearly 600,000 birds have been culled in Bangladesh since March 2007, but the virus did not stop spreading.

Officials blame lack of awareness among poultry producers and their refusal to heed warnings from the health ministry as main reasons for the continuous spreading of bird flu.