Fresh outbreak of bird flu detected in Bangladesh, 2,268 chickens culled

Some 2,268 chickens were culled on January 16 after detecting avian influenza in the commercial farm.

Dhaka, Jan 24: Bangladesh authorities have culled 2,268 chickens following a fresh outbreak of bird flu at a commercial farm last week in Dhamrai on the outskirts of capital Dhaka, an official said on Tuesday.

"We've detected avian influenza, known as H5N1, in a commercial farm last week," Habibur Rahman, a bird flu control official in the government, told Xinhua news agency. "Some 2,268 chickens were culled on January 16 after detecting avian influenza in the commercial farm," he said.

Apart from this, he said eight to nine crows were found dead in Rajshahi district, 256-km northwest of capital Dhaka, earlier this month. The wild crows were later tested positive for highly contagious H5N1 bird flu virus, he said.

Rahman said his department is yet to confirm the sources of fresh attacks of the disease, "but it may be due to germs of bird flu remained as we faced huge outbreak in the past years".

Special steps have already been taken to further motivate farmers to adopt preventive measures since the disease found to reemerge after no-outbreak during winter last year, he added.

IANS