Bangladesh: Bird Flu in ANIMALS/POULTRY Feb/6/2008-Feb/28/2008

[HenryN]

Re: BANGLADESH: Return of the bird flu threat

Bird Flu Related Information up to 19 February, 2008

1. No. of Farms with confirmed H5 Virus 161
2. No. of Districts with Confirmed H5 Virus 43
(Upazilla-83, Metro Thana-13)

( Dhaka, Gazipur, Narayangonj, Tangail, Jamalpur, Jessore, Noakhali, Gaibandha, Magura, Rajbari, Nilphamari, Dinajpur, Rangpur, Jaipurhat, Lalmonirhat, Thakurgaon, Naogaon, Bagura, Feni, Pabna, Kurigram, Moulvibazar, Barisal, Rajshahi, Barguna, Natore, Patuakhali, Netrokona, Bhola, Khulna, Manikgonj, Gopalgonj, Mymensingh, Sylhet, Kustia, Jhinaidah, Norsingdhi, Bagerhat, Chittagong, Kishoregonj, Meherpur, Comilla, Shariatpur)

3. No. of Culled Farms 282

(Dhaka-36 (Savar-26, Turagh-01, Demra-01, Mirpur-03, Shabujbagh-01, Lalbagh-01, Nobabgonj-02, Badda-01), Gazipur-09, Jamalpur-06, Narayangonj-21, Tangail-02, Jessore-11, Noakhali-02, Gaibandha-04, Magura-01, Rajbari-04, Nilphamari-12, Dinajpur-30, Rangpur-06, jaipurhat-04, Lalmonirhat-04, Thakurgaon-02, Naogaon-02, Bagura-02, Feni-08, Pabna-05, Kurigram-01, Moulvibazar-01, Barisal-02, Barguna-16, Rajshahi-03, Natore-01, Patuakhali-01, Netrokona-01, Bhola-08, Manikgonj-03, Mymensingh-03, Gopalgonj-01, Khulna-14, Sylhet-01, Jhinaidah-04, Kustia-01, Narsingdhi-25, Bagerhat-02, Chittagong-09, Kishoregonj-05, Meherpur-02, Comilla-06, Shariatpur-01)

4. Culled on 19/02/2008 ---

5. Culling up to 19/02/2008 8, 49, 732

http://www.mofl.gov.bd/daily_birdflu_report.pdf

[Snowy Owl]

Social Impact: Chickens, eggs off hospital menu in Bangladesh

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Published On: 2008-02-22

Front Page

Chickens, eggs off hospital menu
Sohel Parvez

Many private hospitals in the capital have stopped feeding their patients chicken and eggs amid growing fears over bird flu outbreak, although the health experts say there is no risk if these are cooked properly.

Square Hospital is one of the private hospitals that dropped the items from its menu while Apollo Hospital has left the choice to the patients whether they want to have the items or not.

Public hospitals, such as Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) and Bangladesh Shishu Hospital, meanwhile, have kept the items on their menus.

Talking to The Daily Star, a number of health specialists dismissed any possibility of contracting the disease through consumption, if chicken and eggs are cooked at higher than 70 degrees Celsius temperature.

High temperature kills the deadly H5N1 virus and make the meat safe for human consumption, they added.

"It is absolutely safe to eat if you cook it above 70 degrees Celsius," Brig Gen Dr Md Abdus Shahid Khan, director of DMCH, said adding, "In fact, we are preparing it at over 100 degrees Celsius to ensure safety of the patients."

Prof Mohammad Tahir, vice chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, also echoed his view. "Besides, we do not have any established case of transmission of the virus to human beings so far. It's okay if we boil it properly," he added.

However, lack of awareness has led many private clinics to take out the protein item from their menus. The fears grew as the disease hit the poultry industry of the country with thousands of poultry culled across the country in recent times.

Growing concerns among consumers have already halved the consumption, putting the whole industry in grave peril as thousands of people have already become jobless and farms closed.

Talking to The Daily Star, Dr Md Muniruzzaman Bhuiyan, president of Bangladesh Private Clinic and Diagnostic Owners' Association, admitted that some of the clinics and hospitals have stopped providing eggs and chicken to the patients.

He, however, hoped that the clinics would put the items back on the menu soon after some awareness campaigns.

"People's awareness level has increased. If it is washed and boiled properly, the risk of avian influenza disappears," he said adding "We are fully aware of it now and those clinics and hospitals that had suspended the supply earlier should start providing the diet soon."

Director of Bangladesh Shishu Hospital Md Salim Shakur, also a professor at Bangladesh Institute of Child Health, observed that the people are unnecessarily frightened.

"We are providing the patients with chicken and eggs as we did earlier. If you boil it properly, there is no risk of catching the disease," he added.

The hospital gives chicken to its patients once or twice a week, Shakur said.

"We have stopped giving chicken and eggs to the patients due to bird flu. We are not taking any risk," Brig Gen (retd) John Gomes PSC, general manager of Square Hospital, said adding that the diet for their patients now includes various types of fish, soups and vegetables.

The patients are also given beef or mutton if they ask, he added.

"We haven't received any complaints from our patients. They are rather happy," Gomes said.

Giasuddin, general manager (Media) for Apollo Hospital in Dhaka said the hospital is providing alternative protein diet to its patients.

"It's the choice of the patients whether they want to have chicken and eggs, alternative protein foods, like fish, are also available."

If anyone wants to eat chicken, they can get it fully boiled, he added.
</td> <td align="right" valign="top" width="60"> <!--
One of several CNG filling stations between Kanchpur Bridge and Jatrabari of the capital which BNP big shots built on the Kutubkhali canal, drastically reducing Dhaka's drainage capability. PHOTO: STAR -->
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http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=24456

[Malcolm]

Re: BANGLADESH: Return of the bird flu threat

http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=24565

Media urged to report carefully on bird flu

Bss, Dhaka

Speakers at a seminar yesterday called on the media to report carefully on bird flu so that vested groups cannot take business advantage of the crisis, which affected the poultry sector severely.

"Vested groups are active to inspire the media to create panic and influence the government to import costly vaccines in order to make brisk business in the name of controlling avian influenza," said Dr Muhammad Abdul Karim of Bangladesh Agriculture University.

He said local and international conspiracies have crippled the jute industry, which was once the number one export earner, and that the vested groups are still active to destroy the readymade garment sector, now the biggest export earner, along with the poultry sector that employs hundreds of rural poor and helps meet nutritional demand.

According to statistics, the poultry sector comprises an uncounted number of backyard and over 150,000 commercial farms and contributes 1.2 percent to the gross domestic product (GDP).

It has 220 million genetically-engineered chickens, 160 million local variety of chickens, 37 million ducks and seven million pigeons, food and agriculture organisation (FAO) and the poultry association sources said. Authorities have, so far, culled 6.5 million chickens, ducks and pigeons to prevent the spread of bird flu.

Agriculture Information Centre (AIC) organised the seminar titled 'Things that need to be done to face the challenges in the poultry sector' at the National Press Club in the city.

"Negative publicity about bird flu has already caused a major damage to the poultry sector that has incurred a loss of Tk 4,165 crore since the first outbreak of H5N1 in February last year," said Dr Mohammad Jahangir Alam, director general of Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute (BLRI).

Placing a number of recommendations to protect the Tk 10,000 crore poultry industry, he said culling has been proved a successful control measure in Thailand and a combination of vaccine and culling together helped Indonesia to control bird flu. But in Bangladesh, he said, decisions have yet to be taken to follow the right path of bird flu control.

He suggested providing soft loans to the affected farmers with an interest rate of 2 or 3 percent to revitalise the sector. Cash incentives, he said, can also be an option to encourage farmers to resume their business.

Former vice chancellor of Bangladesh Agriculture University (BAU) Prof Dr Abul Kalam Mohammad Amirul Huq said the media should think twice of greater socio-economic impacts before publishing any reports on bird flu.

He also proposed developing a one-stop information centre that would provide round-the-clock information on bird flu.

[Malcolm]

Re: BANGLADESH: Return of the bird flu threat

http://nation.ittefaq.com/issues/2008/02/23/news0239.htm

Sequel to bird flu outbreak: Nutritional crisis feared

Sheikh Arif Bulbon

Due to attack of bird flu, health and nutrition experts are now surmising a nutritional crisis as people of all income groups depend on poultry products to meet their required demand for protein, minerals and vitamins.

Prof Shah Mohammad Keramat Ali, Professor Clinical Nutrition Department of Nutrition and Food Science Institute of Dhaka University, said, "People of almost all income groups, including the poor, eat the poultry product egg, which is an important source of protein, essential vitamins and minerals and makes a significant contribution to a healthy diet." "They will be deprived of these cheap sources of protein, minerals and vitamins if the bird flu spread is not checked right now. It is really unfortunate for us that we as a poor nation might be the great loser of protein that we collect from eggs," said Prof Keramat.

The virus of bird flu easily spreads through affected fowls, their eggs, faeces, egg crates and even vehicles that are used to transport poultry products to markets. It can spread during slaughtering, plucking, processing and preparation of the poultry for cooking, according to the veterinary surgeons.

As part of the adverse effect of bird flu, it decreases the nutritional status of the country's poor people. Egg-protein is of high biological value as it contains all the essential amino acids needed by the human body, according to the nutritionists.

Prof Keramat said, "Eggs contain most of the recognised vitamins with the exception of vitamin C. It contains most of the minerals that the human body requires. In particular, eggs are an excellent source of iodine, required to produce the thyroid hormone and phosphorus, needed for bone health."

The egg provides significant amounts of zinc, important for wound healing and growth and fighting infection, selenium, an important antioxidant and calcium, which is needed for bone, growth of structure and nerve function.

Professor Nazmul Hasan, Director of Nutrition and Food Science Institute of Dhaka University, said, "In terms of nutritional status, Bangladesh is facing deficiency of protein, iron, minerals and vitamins. My work experience in community nutrition says that scores of people depend on low priced eggs and chickens."

Poor people also depend on chicken, as the price of beef and mutton is higher. They might face difficulties in getting this food that fulfils the demand of high proteins required for health, he said.

"At the moment, we have to take extreme precautions because the fast spreading virus may transmit to human beings. In the case of human infection, it is quite difficult to differentiate the avian flu from the regular seasonal flu. But there is a 90 per cent chance of full recovery if anti-viral medicine is applied within 48 hours of being infected with the H5N1 virus," said epidemiologists.

To prevent the bird flu, World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that meat be cooked thoroughly so all parts of the meat reach an internal temperature of 70 degrees Celsius as this temperature destroys the virus.

Prof Khurshid Jahan, Professor of Clinical Nutrition of Nutrition and Food Science Institute of Dhaka University, suggested eating pulse with rice and vegetable for a balanced diet required for healthy life.

[Treyfish]

Re: BANGLADESH: Return of the bird flu threat

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" bgColor=#3366cc border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=updatetime align=middle>Sunday, February 24, 2008 01:41 AM GMT+06:00 </TD><TD class=volnum align=right width=100></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=60> </TD><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=newspath></TD></TR><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=4 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=newsdetails vAlign=top>

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Point Counterpoint

Combating bird flu

Zulfiquer Ahmed Amin

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Photo: STAR

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>BANGLADESH'S poultry industry is one of the world's largest, producing 220 million chicken and 37 million ducks annually, while millions of households rely on poultry production for income and food. The industry was first hit by bird flu in February 2007, that mainly affected backyard chicken belonging to hapless poverty stricken people in the back country when bird flu wasn't high on Bangladesh's list of things to solve. It resurfaced in January 2008, affecting 271 farms in 78 upazilas in 43 districts till date. The industry is now confronted with its greatest challenge since large-scale poultry farming was first introduced in the 1980s, and, with an investment of about $1.457 billion, is on the verge of collapse following the outbreak of bird flu.

Worldwide, the mainstream practice is to cull the poultry population on detection of the disease. This practice has very adversely impacted poultry sectors in China, Thailand, and some other countries where large scale culling was carried out. The Food and Agricultural Organisation's (Fao) prescription of culling of all the fowls within a 1 mile radius of an infected farm can be an ideal preventive measure, which is economically viable for any European country where, for mile after mile around a farm, no human habitation and no other susceptible poultry farms exist.

Usually, a farming community in Bangladesh is developed in a village or a specific area, where farms are located next to each other because of dense population, and for supporting each other logistically. When a single farm, whatever its size, is infected, hundreds of surrounding farms need to be brought under surveillance, and concurrent culling of all the birds, including healthy ones, has to be undertaken.

In a country like Bangladesh, which is trying desperately to tone down the menace of poverty of its vast population, the Fao prescription to defend against bird flu has hurt us economically. Almost 5 million Bangladeshis are directly or indirectly affiliated to the poultry industry for their livelihood, with almost 1.5 lacs farms dispersed country wide adding some $833 million to the country's GDP. Added to that are another 7.5 million households maintaining small backyard coops that provide almost 70 percent of the country's annual chicken output.

The poultry industry has been registering 20 percent growth over the last few years -- the fastest growth rate for any industry in the country. With the present bird flu panic, and culling of 8,83,613 chicken and destruction of 11,02,669 eggs from 271 farms (The Daily Star, 22.2.08), this budding industry has plummeted, and has forced the closure of 40 percent of the nation's poultry farms, leaving thousands jobless. According to a rough estimate, bird flu has caused a loss of about $714 million to the poultry industry.

With Bangladesh having 50% infants stunted and undernourished (IFPRI, 2004), chicken and eggs getting off the menu out of panic and scarcity has increased the menace of undernourishment. The Fao prescription, with the resulting deepening poverty and malnutrition, is causing substantial harm to our economy and staking the health and lives of our already economically hard-pressed population.

Without gearing up many other preventive measures, adoption of the extreme option of culling the fowls is an unsustainable self-destructive approach. Cooking the chicken flesh at 600 C or above and boiling the eggs make them safe enough for consumption, but many are unaware of this reality and get panicky. It is incessantly being brought to our notice by the media that fowls are being handled by the sellers without gloves and face-masks, and dead birds are littered indiscriminately. This increases our vulnerability.

We have appallingly failed to educate our poultry farmers about bird flu, which is the fundamental need in the present context. We could not effectively propagate the simple message to all that life is more important than transient economic loss, or offer adequate incentive to farmers to go voluntarily to the appropriate authority with their sick poultry, to strengthen the ongoing preventive measure. That is why forced culling has become the key option.

In Bangladesh, chickens are traditionally bought live from the market and slaughtered at home -- and this presents a challenge. After the bird's throat is slit, it thrashes about and its blood splashes all over the courtyard. The blood is not washed away, nor are the remains properly disposed of. Instead, the bird is thrown away where wild birds may eat it. Home-grown chickens generally roam about the courtyard and defecate, with residents carrying the faeces into their homes on their bare feet. Amongst the very poorest people, residents and animals, including chickens, often share the same house -- and chicken faeces are either dumped in the backyard or spread over the kitchen garden as manure. These traditional practices are most dangerous, as they allow the bird flu virus to spread, but these issues remain mostly ignored in our set-mind approach.

In the wake of spreading of the bird flu, panicked people in urban areas have stopped eating chicken, ducks and eggs, while most restaurants and hospitals have taken chicken out of their menus.

Prices of chicks and eggs have also come down heavily. Unemployment and mounting poverty among Bangladeshis at the bottom of the economic ladder are daunting challenges in the fight against bird flu. In a flash, one of the world's most dynamic areas of poultry farming has been practically ruined, and the livelihoods of millions of poor families pushed to the brink. This has been caused not so much by bird flu as by the response to it.

Paradoxically, Fao is silent about the irreparable loss of diversity that the culling would entail, and about the alternatives that have been successfully employed in some countries. The message raised at the conference in Delhi by some within the Fao ranks, about the need to consider the social impacts of responses and the importance of "targeted" culls, was quickly forgotten. Not that such matters are high on the agenda of the international community anyway, judging from the disturbing inability to resolve international disputes over the sharing of virus samples and vaccines. The row that flared up in February 2007 over patenting issues -- between the powerful pharmaceutical interests, led by the US and the UK, and the poor countries most vulnerable to bird flu, led by Indonesia -- is yet to be resolved.

Any policy decision imposed from outside will be unfriendly to local interests. We cannot expect any outsider to plan for our best, taking into cognisance our limitations and strengths. A policy that does not consider local influencing factors can never help materialise the aspirations of our populace. For us, for all the above reasons, selective culling of fowls with highest bio-security measures and education is the most appropriate strategic option to fight against bird flu. We can do no better for the population when policy itself invites catastrophe and sufferings for the habitants.



Dr Zulfiquer Ahmed Amin is a physician and specialist in Public Health Administration and Health Economics.


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http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=24629

[Treyfish]

Re: BANGLADESH: Return of the bird flu threat

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" bgColor=#3366cc border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=updatetime align=middle>Sunday, February 24, 2008 01:44 AM GMT+06:00 </TD><TD class=volnum align=right width=100></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=60> </TD><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=newspath></TD></TR><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=4 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=newsdetails vAlign=top>
26,000 more fowls culled in 4 districts

Star Report

A total of 26,159 fowls infected with avian influenza commonly known as bird flu were culled in Savar, Nilphamari, Barisal and Thakurgaon on Friday night and yesterday.

Around 17,000 chickens were annihilated at 10 poultry farms at Savar yesterday following the detection of deadly H5N1 virus in the farms, reported news agency UNB.

With the culling of the fresh ones, a total of 31,000 chickens were culled at Savar in the last two days, Livestock officials said.

After the detection of bird flu in 'Sheela Poultry Farm' at Rajashan, the Livestock officials decided to cull all the chickens of the 14 poultry farms located within the 1-km radius of the farm.

Following the decision, they said, 14,000 fowls of five poultry farms in the area were culled Friday while 15,600 of the rest nine farms yesterday.

Besides, about 1,400 fowls were culled at SS Agro Poultry Farm at Kamalapur village yesterday after the fresh detection of the deadly virus in the farm.

Meanwhile, at least 6,890 bird flu-infected fowls were culled in Nilphamari. Of those, 5,640 were culled at Sanmoy poultry farm while 997 at Alam Poultry farm. 14,347 eggs were also destroyed, reported our Nilphamari correspondent.

Besides, 113 chickens, 15 ducks and 45 pigeons belonged to 45 households were culled as those were infected with the deadly virus.

Sources said several fowls died within a few hours at Sanmoy Poultry farm and Alam Poulty farm in Kukha Para area.

The sample of dead chickens was first sent to a laboratory in Gaibandha and then it was sent to Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute (BLRI).

Following the BLRI report which mentioned that the fowls were infected with bird flu, a team of livestock officials led by Upazila Nirbahi Officer Khorshed Alam culled the fowls.

Upazila and district livestock officials culled about 1,000 fowls infected with avian influenza in Barisal on Friday night and yesterday, reported our Barisal correspondent.

Sources said the fowls were culled at different poultry farms and houses in a one-kilometre area stretching from Thana Council to Islam Para in the city after a test report confirmed that those were infected with bird flu.

BCC mayor Awlad Hossain Dilu, and Barisal metropolitan Police Commissioner Khan Sayed Hassan, among others, were present during the culling.

The sources said Tk 80 would be given to the owners as compensation for each culled fowl.

At least 1269 domestic fowls were culled at 132 houses at Sarbamongola village of Baliadangi upazila yesterday, reported our Thakurgaon correspondent.

Besides, 329 eggs were destroyed.

Deputy Director of Livestock Directorate Bimol Chandra said they collected samples of some dead domestic chickens from the house of Abul Kalam at Sarbamongola village a few days back and sent to the regional research centre in Joypurhat and BLRI at Savar.

They received the report on Friday evening which confirmed that the fowls were infected with avian influenza.

District and upazila livestock officials with the help of local administration culled the fowls.
</TD><TD vAlign=top align=right width=60><!--
One of several CNG filling stations between Kanchpur Bridge and Jatrabari of the capital which BNP big shots built on the Kutubkhali canal, drastically reducing Dhaka's drainage capability. PHOTO: STAR --></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=24676

[Treyfish]

Re: BANGLADESH: Return of the bird flu threat

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" bgColor=#3366cc border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=updatetime align=middle>Sunday, February 24, 2008 01:49 AM GMT+06:00 </TD><TD class=volnum align=right width=100></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=60> </TD><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=newspath></TD></TR><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=4 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=newsdetails vAlign=top>

Published On: 2008-02-23

Front Page

Slaughtered sick chickens on sale at city markets

Shamim Ashraf

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Chickens about to die from diseases are hurriedly slaughtered and **** up for sale at city markets. Hoteliers are their main consumers. The photo was taken from Kaptan Bazar. Photo: STAR

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>A number of unscrupulous poultry sellers in city markets have been putting members of the public at risk of avian flu infection by selling slaughtered sick chickens at low prices.

Prime customers of these pre-slaughtered chickens are makeshift roadside diners, street vendors of cooked food and caterers who deliver food to offices or messes for the low-income group, said a few poultry traders seeking anonymity.

Although no case of human infection has so far been detected, the handling of sick birds without protective gear pose a great threat of spreading the deadly virus as the avian flu, commonly known as bird flu, spreads mostly through physical contact with the infected birds, said experts.

During a visit to Kaptanabazar poultry market a couple of days back in the morning, this correspondent came across a man who was leaving the market after buying two such pre-slaughtered chickens.

Refusing to identify himself, the man said he had bought each chicken for only Tk 30. Considering the regular price of at least Tk 60 apiece, he apparently bought the chickens at a bargain price.

Asked what he does with the chicken, the man without any facemask or gloves said he sells the chicken to "small traders, mostly those who sell boxed meals near the National Stadium and Motijheel commercial area."

"They [the poultry sellers at kitchen markets] slaughter a chicken when it starts dozing and hang it from a sutli [string] in their shops," he said.

The man hurriedly left when this correspondent asked him to show the seller who sold the pre-slaughtered chickens to him.

After entering the poultry market at Kaptanabazar, this correspondent did not find any seller who was wearing gloves or facemasks. None of them admitted selling the two chickens to the man either.

Noticing a photographer taking snap of a pre-slaughtered chicken at a shop in the market, a staff of the shop immediately took that off from there.

However, this correspondent noticed several dangling strings in most of the poultry outlets.

Ruhul Amin, a cleaner assigned by the Dhaka City Corporation (DCC), said, "When any chicken shows the symptom of dying, especially right after they are brought in to the markets, the traders slaughter them immediately and hang them in their outlets for sale."

Customers of these slaughtered chickens are "poor people, mostly women, who cater low-priced food to messes and food stalls by footpaths in the city," he added.

He also used to buy and sell the slaughtered chicken, but he stopped the business after his sales dropped due to the recent bird flu scare.

"We know these chickens do not have the disease, but ever since the bird flu scare gripped all, poor people like us are going through difficult times," said Ruhul claiming that the trade no longer kicks.

Contradicting Ruhul's claim, a grocer in front of the market said seeking anonymity that the trade of pre-slaughtered sick chicken mostly takes place in the morning.

Khokon, a poultry trader at the market, said the sale of pre-slaughtered chicken has dropped from 50 to 60 a day to 3 to 4 daily in recent times. He insisted that the chickens he sells are not sick and various city restaurants are his clients.

Kulsuma Begum, a boxed meal (Tk 20 each) seller at the eastern gate of the National Stadium, said, "You'll see pre-slaughtered chicken at Fakirerpul poultry market and the traders there would approach you to buy it. I won't buy those though they are cheap."

She also said she has heard that such pre-slaughtered chickens might cause a dangerous disease called bird flu.

Zakir Hossain, a cooked rice vendor in front of Shilpa Bank building, said he buys chickens from Jatrabari poultry market, "but not the pre-slaughtered ones".

"Some people like me definitely buy those," he added.

Sheikh Saidur Rahman, Dhaka district livestock officer, told The Daily Star, "Though it doesn't necessarily mean that the dozing chickens are infected with the bird flu virus, the chance is there. Besides, the sick chicken might have other diseases too."

"But if the sick birds have bird flu, a person coming in contact with those may get infected with it," he cautioned.

He said strict instructions have been issued to the poultry traders asking them to inform livestock or city corporation officials once any chicken is detected with sickness.

Dr Mosaddeque Hossain, chief veterinary officer at Central Veterinary Hospital, told this correspondent, "You see, when we visit the markets, everything seems okay. But after we leave, they [poultry traders] do whatever they please. It's very difficult to keep an eye on all the markets round the clock."
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=24556</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Sand

[Treyfish]

Re: BANGLADESH: Return of the bird flu threat

Around 100 crows found dead

By OUR CORRESPONDENT

Kolkata, Feb. 23: While the state animal husbandry department (AHD), claimed that the state has successfully controlled avian influenza, a sudden unexplained death of around 100 crows at Chetla in south Kolkata has sparked-off a bird flu scare in the city.

On Saturday, the residents of Chetla were shocked to see dead crows lying all around. While most of them were already dead, some died later.

"I saw the birds drooling and flapping their wings before collapsing," a local said. Soon crows started falling down from the trees. "We are suspecting some kind of neuro toxic agent which affected their nervous systems, causing death," chief municipal officer for health, Debdaipayan Chattopadhyay said.

Municipal officers have collected samples from the area which were sent to the Belgachia Institute of Veterinary Sciences for tests.

"Crows are carriers of bird flu but rarely die because of it. However, we might send the samples to Bhopal for confirmation," state animal resources development minister, Anisur Rehman said.

The state government is continuing with the culling operations in various parts of Murshidabad, like Beldanga and Shoktipur. After the culling and mopping up operations were over, the state has renewed efforts to cull chickens in many areas once again.

http://tinyurl.com/2r59uu
Aurora

[Treyfish]

Re: BANGLADESH: Return of the bird flu threat

Experts detecting cause of epidemic : Observance of safety precautions key to containing bird flu


Syful Islam

Bangladeshi scientists so far could identify existence of H5 avian and H9 swine influenza virus in Bangladeshi chickens that have been culled fearing outbreak of bird flu in the country.

Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute and Central Disease Investigation Laboratory are working to identify the viruses that have affected Bangladesh's poultry sector and producing appropriate vaccine to protect the Tk 8,000 crore industry, sources said.Bangladesh has so far culled near about 7 lakh chickens as preventive measure against the spread of bird flu virus from one farm to another. Density of poultry farms in Bangladesh is higher than in other countries that forced culling of huge number of chickens, experts said.

Chief Veterinary Officer of the Central Veterinary Hospital Dr Mosaddique Hossain said a high-powered committee will be formed soon comprising local and foreign scientists to inquire into the cause of the outbreak.

He said there is a common thinking that avian influenza has come to Bangladesh through migratory birds. But the government is trying to identify the carriers of the virus through scientific studies. Dr Mosaddique said avian influenza spread through faeces, sneezing and eggs of chicken. There is no example that bird flu spreads through flesh of chicken. Eating of flesh and eggs through proper boiling is safe to eat.

He said appropriate safety measures by raising awareness among the poultry industry workers and owners can help save the sector from destruction. Common people are also in the same risks if they come in touch with the virus while handling poultry materials, he added.

The Chief Veterinary Officer said sellers of chicken and egg in the markets are also at high risk if they handle those without wearing aprons and hand gloves.

Dr Mosaddique laid emphasise on taking bio-safety measures in the farms and adjacent areas so that no bird can enter from outside. People should clean hands and shoes before entering farms.

"Unless people are aware of the virus and take appropriate safety measures, all the steps of the government will fall into ditch and yield no result," he said.

Poultry consumers should press the sellers to use masks and other virus preventive gadgets and help prevent the spread of bird flu, which is the responsibility of buyers, too, Dr Mosaddique said. http://nation.ittefaq.com/issues/200...4/news0308.htm

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Re: BANGLADESH: Return of the bird flu threat

1,000 fowls culled in Barisal
United News of Bangladesh . Barisal
About 1,000 fowls affected by avian influenza were culled in the city Friday night.
Livestock officials said the affected chickens were collected from poultry farms owned Abdul Halim, Nuru Mallik, Milon Mia and others within one kilometer of Thana Council and Islam Para.
The measure was taken after samples of dead chickens tested in the laboratory in Dhaka found that those were affected by the bird flu. http://www.newagebd.com/front.html#16

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Re: BANGLADESH: Return of the bird flu threat

Bird flu: 18,000 chickens culled in Savar, barisal


No human infection case detected so far in country-Bird flu costs poultry industry Tk 40b


Sunday February 24 2008 00:41:09 AM BDT


Microbiologists and physi-cians at a roundtable here Saturday said there is no reason for the people to get panicked about avian influenza as there is no human infection case in Bangladesh(News TodayBD)

although it has already cost the country Tk 4,000 crore, reports UNB.

"Bangladesh''s poultry industry of Tk 10,000 crore has already suffered a loss of Tk 4,000 crore due to bid flu," Dr Jahangir Alam, Director General of Livestock Research Institute, told the roundtable.

Watchdog, an NGO, and Breeder''s Association of Bangladesh jointly organised the roundtable titled ''Bird Flu and Solution'' at the Jatiya Press Club in the afternoon.

Professors of Microbiology and Hygiene of Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh Dr Md Mansurul Amin, Dr Md Shahidur Rahman Khan and Dr Md Alimul Islam jointly presented the keynote paper titled ''Avian Influenza/Bird Flu in Bangladesh: Prevalence and Prevention'' at the programme.

They stressed the need for creating awareness about the avian influenza among the people, including the poultry workers, sellers, buyers and veterinarians, to contain the infection and spread of the disease.

Prof Dr Md Mansurul Amin said the sub-type of the ''H5N1'' virus for avian influenza ever detected in Bangladesh is very fragile as any normal detergent powder and soap destroys it. "Type H5N7 and H9N2 viruses are low pathogenic while the H5N1 is high pathogenic."

Dr Md Rafuqul Islam, an associate professor of Shaheed Shurawardy Hospital, said, "We''ve no reason to get panicked as no human avian influenza case has been detected in Bangladesh so far."

Mansurul Amin said bird flu could be transmitted from the infected birds to normal birds through direct contact and air (in close contact and dried materials), respiratory and ocular discharge and feces. "The spread of bird flu is horizontal, not vertical," he said.

Describing the poultry egg and meat as the sources of nutrition for the middle and comparatively poor classes, he said poultry egg and meat are cheaper than fish and beef and 100 percent protein is assimilated in the body after digestion.

General secretary of Poultry Breeders'' Association Moshiur Rahman, economist Abdus Sattar Mondal, AP Bureau chief Farid Hossain and New Age special correspondent Nazmul Ahsan, among others, spoke on the occasion.

Economist Abdus Sattar urged the government to introduce a system for monitoring the present situation and apply scientific measures to tackle the present crisis. "The Thai government has controlled its situation adopting the scientific measures."

About the consumption level of poultry items, he said, "Although there is a falling trend in consumption of poultry items right now, it''ll pick up within 2-3 months."

Around 17,000 more chickens of 10 poultry farms in Savar were annihilated Saturday following the detection of deadly H5N1 virus in the farms.

With the culling of the fresh ones, a total of 31,000 chickens were annihilated here in the last two days, Livestock officials said.

After the detection of bird flu in ''Sheela Poultry Farm'' at Rajashan in the municipality area, the Livestock officials decided to cull all the chickens of the 14 poultry farms located within the 1-km radius of the farm.

Following the decision, they said, 14,000 fowls of five poultry farms in the area were culled Friday while 15,600 of the rest nine farms today (Saturday).

Besides, some 1,400 fowls of ''SS Agro Poultry Farm'', located outside the municipality area at Kamalapur village, were also culled today after the fresh detection of the deadly virus in the farm.

In Barisal, About 1,000 fowls affected by avian influenza were culled in the city Friday night.

Livestock officials said the affected chickens were collected from poultry farms owned Abdul Halim, Nuru Mallik, Milon Mia and others within one kilometer of Thana Council and Islam Para.

The measure was taken after samples of dead chickens tested in the laboratory in Dhaka found that those were affected by the bird flu.

http://www.newsfrombangladesh.net/view.php?hidRecord=188762

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Re: BANGLADESH: Return of the bird flu threat

warden message

February 20, 2008

Warden Message-Avian Influenza

As you are aware, Avian Influenza (H5N1 virus) continues to spread through Bangladesh. There have not been any confirmed cases of human infection in Bangladesh. This message provides information on proper procedures for handling of sick and dead birds and poultry food preparation. Educational outreach to Americans in Bangladesh and their household staff is one of several measures the U.S. Embassy is taking to safeguard community health and to support the Government of Bangladesh in addressing the Avian Influenza threat.
IMPORTANT DO'S AND DON'TS

DO NOT, under any circumstances, touch or even approach dead birds or birds which are alive but appear to be ill unless necessary.

DO educate children and household staff to follow the same precautions.

DO, as much as possible, safeguard pets from coming into contact with dead or ill birds.

DO have a family plan for how to respond in the unlikely but possible event of a virulent human disease or pandemic flu. For more information, please see http://www.pandemicflu.gov or the U.S. Department of State's Avian Influenza Fact Sheet at http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/health/health_1181.html

DO encourage frequent, thorough hand-washing with soap and water. This prevents many illnesses, and is the best defense you, your family and your staff can take.
If you find a dead bird, follow the instructions immediately below for disposing of them. DO NOT touch any ill or dead birds without appropriate protective equipment.

* Wear gloves and a mask if possible, and remove the carcass with a shovel or other disposable or cleanable utensil. Under no circumstances should the bird be touched with bare hands.

* Place the dead bird in a plastic bag and seal it. Place this bag in another bag or a cardboard box.

* If disposing of the carcass in the absence of other instructions from local government, bury it in a location where it is unlikely to be disturbed by other animals.

* Thoroughly clean the shovel or other utensil used to dispose of the dead bird with soap and water.

* Thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water for 15-20 seconds.

* If one location experiences a large number (more than 5) of dead birds on one day, report it to your local government. For example, if in Dhaka, contact the Dhaka City Corporation, Dr. Voyger Rahmna at 01711-239939 or Dr. Aminul Islam Badal at 01711-820447.
SAFE FOOD PREPARATION

* Always begin by thoroughly washing hands with soap and water.

* Remember to thoroughly cook any birds or eggs that will be served to eat. Adequate
cooking kills the virus and makes food safe.

* Educate your cooks to separate raw and cooked foods, to use different chopping boards or utensils for each, and to clean their hands and any surface or utensil that touched raw foods thoroughly with soap and water afterwards.

* Do not touch your mouth, nose or eyes while handling poultry products.

* After cooking poultry, place it on a clean plate. Never put it back on the surface where the raw poultry was.
The U.S. Embassy in Dhaka can be reached at (880-2) 885-5500 during regular hours and for after-hours emergencies. Our website address is dhaka.usembassy.gov. For the latest security information, Americans living and traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs Internet web site at http://travel.state.gov, where the current Country Specific Information, Current Travel Warning, Current Travel Alerts, Worldwide Caution, and other Travel Alerts and Travel Warnings can be found.

Up-to-date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the U.S. and Canada; or, for callers outside the U.S. and Canada, a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 am to 8:00 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).
U.S. Embassy
Dhaka, Bangladesh

http://dhaka.usembassy.gov/warden_message_feb20_08.html

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Re: BANGLADESH: Return of the bird flu threat

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=center align=left>WB says avian flue is a major challenge for Bangladesh</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=center align=left> DHAKA, Bangladesh, Feb 23 (BSS)-The World Bank (WB) has said the avian
flue is a major challenge to the country's poultry industry which has already hurt this sector as 41 out of 64 districts are now affected.

In a recent report presented at a seminar last week the bank said occurrence of avian flue and destruction of the birds hit the industry which has been playing a significant role in the country's fight against poverty.

The report said small-scale commercial producers need improved technical knowledge of intensive poultry production to save the birds from endemic diseases.

The report titled 'high value agriculture in Bangladesh: an assessment of agro- business opportunities and constraints' has also laid emphasis on increasing productions of fruits, vegetables, spices, fish and livestock.

It made the forecast that the country would have an additional demand of these products worth US$ 8.00 billion by the year 2020 at current price. The report speaks of improving the productivity, upgrading post harvest technology and infrastructure to better treatment of high value farm products.

Referring to shortcomings in these areas, it said the post harvest loss of fruits and vegetables in the country stands at two million tones annually compared to 30,000 tonnes of exports. Annual post harvest loss of potato alone stands at Taka 489 crore, the report pointed out.

These items require better market information and improved processing facilities including reliable power supply, the report said and added the export of these items can be increased from the current average of US$20 million annually by improving the market access.

About the country's dairy production, it said the average yield of milk per cow in Bangladesh per year is 0.7 tonnes annually compared with 1.2 tonnes in India and 1.1 tonnes in Pakistan.

There is also lack of quality control of milk and milk products as individual suppliers are remaining outside the testing coverage, the report said and added the price of milk in the country is higher at US$ 43.52 per 100 liter compared to US$ 28.69 in India.

As prioritized action plan the report has suggested upgrading the enabling environment for agro-business, enhancing the knowledge for running agro-business, taking pro-active stance towards food safety and quality management.

It has also suggested for improving market linkage and strengthening institutions and organization to create better networking for trading agricultural inputs and supplies. Some of these actions would require removing policy distortions and pursuing business friendly policies and their legislation, it added.

The report said many regulations are now outdated and others are just absent with regard to food safety and quality of animal feed and inputs. Review of the current market legislation including market leasing policies is required, it added.

Further reforms are also essential to improve business environment in agri-sector. It also requires rationalizing subsidies, export incentives and tax benefits, already formulated to promote agro-business, the report said.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
http://www.bssnews.net/index.php?gen...008-02-23&id=7

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Re: BANGLADESH: Return of the bird flu threat

<TABLE cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=2 width="99%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=baseline colSpan=2>CS Karim calls for social coop to save poultry industry</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2></TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top colSpan=2>
Around 14,000 chickens culled in Savar

Agriculture and Water Resources Adviser Dr CS Karim Friday said all would have to extend social cooperation to save the country?s poultry industry, hit badly by avian influenza.

?Farmers are our national heroes. We have to work for their interest,? he said speaking at a views-exchange meeting at the district conference room in the afternoon.

The Agriculture Adviser informed that the government is providing Tk 1200 as subsidy against each bag of urea fertilizer only to save the sector.

He said the government has appointed several fertilizer distributors in all the unions of the country to reach the much-need input to the farmers.

Presided over by Faridpur Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Yahya Bhuiyan, the meeting was addressed by Faridpur Police Super Kusum Dewan, Major Enayet Karim, NDC Tariqul Islam, Rajendra College Principal Prof Anil Chandra Saha, heads of all government departments in the district and representatives of different social organisations.

Around 14,000 chickens culled in Savar

Around 14,000 chickens of four poultry farms were culled in Savar municipal area Friday after detection of avian influenza.

Upazila Livestock officials said some chickens of Sheela Poultry Farm died in last couple of days at Rajashan in the municipal area.

Detection of the avian influenza virus was confirmed at the farm after laboratory test. It was then decided to kill all the chickens around one kilometre of the farm.

The destroyed chickens included 3,100 of Sheela Poultry Farm, 2,800 of Semi Poultry Farm, 1,000 of Polash Poultry Farm and 7,000 of Jewel Poultry Farm.

Around 18,000 more chickens of seven poultry farms are likely to be culled on Saturday in a bid to stop spreading of the virus.

--UNB, Faridpur, Savar
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

http://www.bangladeshinfo.com/news/other_news.php?news=1

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Re: BANGLADESH: Return of the bird flu threat

<TABLE style="FONT-SIZE: xx-small; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=2 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>US provides Rs 44 lakh to control flu </TD></TR><TR><TD>Friday, February 22,2008 </TD></TR><TR><TD><TABLE style="FONT-SIZE: xx-small; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width="100%">KOLKATA: The US would provide Rs 44 lakh ($110,000) for control of Avian Influenza in India following the recent outbreak of the disease.

A statement by the US Consulate in Kolkata said that the assistance would be provided to states like Bihar, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

In 2007, US had provided USD 4.7 million for US-India collaborative programmes on seasonal influenza, avian influenza and pandemic preparedness.

The US Agency for International Development will partner with UNICEF, India government and state governments to implement the national avian flu communication strategy, it added.

http://www.southasianmedia.net/cnn.c...&Country=INDIA</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>