October 21, 2008

Bird flu has been detected at a poultry farm in Bangladesh, just 4 months after the virus was last reported in the country.

About 300 birds were culled in a farm in the northern Naogaon district after the lethal H5N1 strain of bird flu was detected, said livestock department spokesman Salahuddin Khan.

Khan said farmers have been instructed to improve biosecurity, while extra surveillance measures across the country have been taken.

The virus became dormant on the onset of summer, but is now returning ahead of the cold season, said Khan.

This bird flu outbreak is a risk for Bangladesh's US$1.5 billion poultry industry, according to officials.