By IINA
Dhaka : Authorities in Bangladesh are working on a war footing to tackle outbreaks of Avian Influenza. Although no cases of bird flu in humans have been reported , poultry has been affected in 47 of Bangladesh’s 64 districts, resulting in the culling of over 1.5 million birds.
The first outbreak was reported on March 22 last year and hit its peak in February this year, with 96 separate outbreaks being detected. A training session was held yesterday for health and veterinary officials in Khulna to allow them to get acquainted with tests for the virus, proper use of protective gear and maintaining hygiene. Testing kits have been provided by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Senior veterinary officials also addressed the media, who formed part of the delegation led by Gaddi Vasquez, United States Ambassador to UN Relief Organizations in Rome. Bird flu is being tackled using a multi-step program involving education, reporting findings, collection of samples for testing, sending samples to labs and receiving the results, taking action during an outbreak, taking action after an outbreak and compensation.
Zandra Holloway Andre, USAID Technical Adviser, Avian and Pandemic Influenza (South Asia), said there has been resistance to inspection teams and culling squads visiting villages.
In the event, teams often have to enter with the police or army giving them protection.
“There has been some resistance, cases where poultry is hidden or quickly taken to the market to be sold,” she said. The Bangladeshi government, however, offers compensation to farmers whose birds are destroyed. In fact, the government recently raised compensation levels to ensure poultry farmers get a fair share.
Teams move about on door-to-door campaigns to provide information to poultry farmers. An official said: “Eggs cannot be contaminated but eggshells can. It is best to wash an egg before cooking it. Washing hands with soap and water is very important.” Birds are culled by breaking their necks, which is cruel. But the impoverished nation cannot afford gadgets like carbon dioxide chambers. “The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved the method,” said Andre. Vasquez told the gathering there was a sense of relief bird flu had not become a full-blown pandemic as many had predicted. “We should be grateful to all the men and women out there who are helping fight bird flu.