The Bangladesh authorities, with assistance from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), have employed 300 field volunteers since October 2008 to strengthen surveillance of bird flu in rural areas.
Some 20 confirmed cases in birds have been recorded since that time, mostly in rural homesteads or backyard farms - a thriving part of Bangladesh's poultry industry, which employs some four million people.
Between March 2007 and the end of February 2009 some 570 farms - both commercial and backyard - had reported bird flu cases. Of these, around 50 involved backyard farms.
Outbreaks of the virus generally occur after the end of the rains in October and run until early June when the rains return.
“The coming three months are crucial. Then the [June] monsoon rains will ease the situation,” said Mohammad Abu Bakr, a livestock worker at Jibika-CLP (Char Livelihood Programme), an NGO funded by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), which is active on the river islands.
The authorities, however, appear not to be too concerned, describing the situation as better than last year.
"Winter is the peak period for outbreaks of the disease [among birds]. No major outbreak is likely to happen in the coming months,” chief veterinary officer of the Department of Livestock Services (DLS) Muhammad Salehuddin Khan told IRIN in Dhaka.
Scientists concerned
Some scientists, however, are particularly concerned about the risk in backyard farms.
“Backyard farms are in the rural areas where people are poor and ignorant. They also have very poor access to the media. They do not know much about bird flu or preventive practices,” said Habibur Rahman of Bangladesh Agricultural University.
Cases of bird flu in backyards often go unreported, posing a risk not just to birds but also humans, say scientists and government experts.
“The increasing outbreaks in backyard farms are disturbing. Human infections occur mainly from backyard farms,” said Rahman.
Four hundred and eight confirmed cases of bird flu patients worldwide have been reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) since 2003. Of these, at least 254 had died as of 18 February 2009. Most had had close contact with sick birds.
as/ds/cb
Some 20 confirmed cases in birds have been recorded since that time, mostly in rural homesteads or backyard farms - a thriving part of Bangladesh's poultry industry, which employs some four million people.
Between March 2007 and the end of February 2009 some 570 farms - both commercial and backyard - had reported bird flu cases. Of these, around 50 involved backyard farms.
Outbreaks of the virus generally occur after the end of the rains in October and run until early June when the rains return.
“The coming three months are crucial. Then the [June] monsoon rains will ease the situation,” said Mohammad Abu Bakr, a livestock worker at Jibika-CLP (Char Livelihood Programme), an NGO funded by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), which is active on the river islands.
The authorities, however, appear not to be too concerned, describing the situation as better than last year.
"Winter is the peak period for outbreaks of the disease [among birds]. No major outbreak is likely to happen in the coming months,” chief veterinary officer of the Department of Livestock Services (DLS) Muhammad Salehuddin Khan told IRIN in Dhaka.
Photo: Contributor/IRIN  |
| Children playing in the yard of an infected farm with the same rickshaw that earlier transported culled chickens for disposal |
Some scientists, however, are particularly concerned about the risk in backyard farms.
“Backyard farms are in the rural areas where people are poor and ignorant. They also have very poor access to the media. They do not know much about bird flu or preventive practices,” said Habibur Rahman of Bangladesh Agricultural University.
Cases of bird flu in backyards often go unreported, posing a risk not just to birds but also humans, say scientists and government experts.
“The increasing outbreaks in backyard farms are disturbing. Human infections occur mainly from backyard farms,” said Rahman.
Four hundred and eight confirmed cases of bird flu patients worldwide have been reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) since 2003. Of these, at least 254 had died as of 18 February 2009. Most had had close contact with sick birds.
as/ds/cb
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