Bird flu has been detected at a poultry farm in Jashore—the first such case in Bangladesh since 2018—raising concerns among farmers.
Officials are closely monitoring the situation and necessary measures have been taken to contain its spread, Farida Akhter, adviser to the fisheries and livestock ministry, told The Daily Star today, reports The Daily Star.
The infection was detected in the first week of February this year, she said.
Officials from the Department of Livestock Services have visited the site and gathered all relevant information, including details on how the virus entered Bangladesh, she added.
According to a report by news agency Reuters, the World Organisation for Animal Health stated on Tuesday that this was the first case of bird flu detected at a Bangladeshi farm since 2018.
Highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, has spread globally in recent years, including in the United States, leading to the culling of hundreds of millions of poultry, the report said.
The outbreak killed 1,900 birds out of a flock of 3,978 in Jessore district. All remaining birds were culled, it added.
Suman Hawlader, president of the Bangladesh Poultry Association, an organisation representing marginal farmers in the country, stated that farmers are already facing significant challenges for various reasons.
Therefore, the government should take appropriate measures to prevent the virus from spreading. Otherwise, the poultry sector will face a disaster, he warned.
Bangladesh first experienced a bird flu outbreak in March 2007, when more than a million birds were culled.
A case of flu transmission to humans was reported in May 2008.
