March 26, 2007

 

Bangladesh confirms bird flu case at state-run farm

 

 

The strain of bird flu deadly to humans was detected at a state-run poultry farm near the Bangladeshi capital where workers recently slaughtered about 30,000 chickens, the government said Friday (Mar 23).

 

The country's health minister, S.M. Matiur Rahman, said there were no reported cases of human infections but that citizens had been put on alert.

 

Authorities responded to the discovery by slaughtering about 8,000 chickens at five privately operated farms near Dhaka Friday as a precautionary measure.

 

"We have no proof that those 8,000 chickens are infected," the official who led the operation told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, in line with official policy.

 

Laboratory tests in Bangladesh and Thailand confirmed that a poultry farm at Savar, which is run by the state-owned Biman Bangladesh Airlines, was infected by the H5N1 virus, the government Press Information Department said in a statement Friday.

 

"The results showed the existence of influenza virus of the H5N1 variety," the statement said.

 

Authorities recently culled 30,000 chickens at the farm after many died of a mysterious disease.

 

Fisheries and Livestock Advisor C.S. Karim said authorities have been asked to take "all precautionary measures to prevent any spread of the virus".

 

"There is no reason for any panic," the statement said.

 

The UN's World Health Organization promised to work closely with the government to contain the spread of the deadly virus.

 

"We are very concerned about the outbreak of the disease in Bangladesh, but there is no need to panic as the situation has been handled very carefully," Duangvadee Sungkhobol, WHO representative in Dhaka, told reporters late Friday. "WHO has confidence (the government) would be able to limit the spread."

 

Bangladesh has already banned import of poultry products from more than 50 countries as part of a preventive measure to keep bird flu from entering the country.