DHAKA, 28 January 2008 (IRIN) - Bird flu or avian influenza is spreading across Bangladesh. In the last four days, over 1,000 crows have dropped dead in Barisal, Patuakhali and Dinajpur districts, with laboratory tests confirming they were infected with the H5N1 virus.

Initial reports suggest the crows had eaten bird flu-affected dead chickens thrown away by farmers.

Despite government efforts to burn or buy the dead birds, in many places the carcasses of dead chickens and crows can be seen rotting in the open.

Habibur Rahman of Mymensing Agricultural University, a leading bird flu expert, and A.S.M. Alamgir, a virologist at the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research, now describe the situation as "alarming".

"Not only crows, about 1,000 ducks died of bird flu in Naogaon District yesterday. Ducks usually carry the H5N1 virus, but do not die. When ducks die, it indicates that the virus is very highly pathogenic. Even the possibility of mutation of the virus can't be ruled out," they told IRIN.

On 27 January, bird flu was reported at a poultry farm in Peelkhana in Dhaka, nearly a quarter of whose 12 million people live in overcrowded shanties with minimum health and hygiene facilities.

Government takes action

Special assistant to the country's chief adviser Manik Lal Samaddar has declined to describe the situation as "alarming", but he conceded at a press conference that the government was unable to address it alone: He called on poultry farmers to help tackle the problem.

Every vehicle at 11 border crossings with neighbouring India, which is now battling its own outbreak of the virus, is to be sprayed with anti-viral disinfectant. Spraying is also taking place at other key points. Security forces were closely checking for any illegal poultry and egg imports from India. A 16-member government health team was also working at district level to detect and observe the disease, Samaddar said.

"They are collecting specimens as well as examining and culling infected birds or livestock. The Health Ministry is assisting the Fisheries and Livestock Ministry in the job," he explained.

Additionally, 150 volunteers had been appointed under the Directorate of Livestock to prevent the spread of the disease, while's the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) was supporting the government in its effort to bring the disease under control.

Bracing for human cases

Moreover, a bird flu ward had been set up in the National Institute of Diseases of the Chest and Hospital in Dhaka, while a laboratory had been established to diagnose infected persons.

"The government is well prepared to face any situation," Alamgir said.

"Rapid Response Teams (RRT), with 11 trained members in each team, have been put in place in all 64 districts. Five trained RRT members in each of 471 sub-districts have been provided with personal protective equipment. Enough antiviral drugs have been stored at district hospitals for the use of those who cull sick birds," he said.

More than 225,000 volunteers had been trained at more than 4,400 unions (elected local government unit at community level) across Bangladesh. "Volunteers are visiting rural households and educating people to report dead or sick birds, safe disposal of solid poultry waste, safe disposal of dead birds, proper hand washing and other safe health practices," Alamgir explained.

Since March 2007 when the first bird flu case was reported, more than 360,000 chickens have been culled at 93 poultry farms in 48 sub-districts of 29 districts and six metropolitan cities across the country.

Donors, experts worry

According to FAO, 21 out of 64 districts have now been infected with H5NI and the situation seems to be worsening.

Just last week, FAO warned that the disease appeared to be endemic in the country, and that surveillance and control campaigns had so far failed to interrupt the virus's transmission between provinces.

Since August 2007, the government of Bangladesh has been implementing a project - with financial assistance of US$22.3 million from the World Bank - for training livestock officials on bird flu surveillance.

The poultry industry employs over five million people in Bangladesh; with commercial farms producing 220 million chickens and 37 million ducks annually. However, this is just 30 percent of the total national poultry production, with the rest produced in backyard farms.

People should be made aware of waste management, particularly poultry waste, which needs to be buried in deep soil instead of being thrown into open dustbins, Habibur Rahman said.

According to the World Health Organization, since 2003 bird flu has killed over 200 people in 12 countries, most of them in Asia.

sa/ds/cb

© IRIN. All rights reserved. More humanitarian news and analysis: http://www.IRINnews.org

IRIN news