More than 1 lakh poultry culled in Dhaka;birdflu continues to spread

Dhaka, Feb 16 (UNI) The Livestock Department workers today started culling nearly 1,65,000 chickens at a farm here as avian influenza continues to spread to newer poultry farms almost everyday in Bangladesh.

This is the first detection of the avian influenza known as bird flu in the capital since the virus broke out at an alarming rate in March last year.

Deputy Director of the Livestock Department Salahuddin Khan said they have started culling the chickens after detection of the virus. It may take 2-3 days since the number is big.

Though the exact number of the chickens would be known after completion of the culling but it has exceeded 100,000 till now, he said. Local people said the farm has 1,65,000 chickens.

An official at the Bird Flu control room said the virus affected fowls in one more district raising the total number of the affected districts to 43. In the last 48 hours, 13,820 chickens, pigeons and eggs were destroyed at six farms in five districts.

Since the bird flu broke up in March last year, some 6,42,679 fowls were culled in the country's 43 out of 64 districts, the control room said.

UNI XC SYU BST1731