The bird flu situation in Bangladesh remains serious and the country will have to engage in a long-term strategic campaign against Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in order to get the spreading H5N1 virus under control, said the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
The first officially announced avian influenza outbreak in Bangladesh occurred in February 2007; since then the virus has spread to eleven out of 64 districts.
Bangladesh is the second country in South Asia to be affected by the H5N1 virus this year.
?In response to recent outbreaks, the government and veterinary authorities have applied immediate control and containment measures in affected areas,? said Joseph Domenech, FAO?s Chief Veterinary Officer.
?Bangladesh has already prepared a National Avian Influenza and Human Pandemic Preparedness Plan and an Emergency Operational Plan to meet the threat of bird flu and is implementing these plans to control the disease,? Domenech added.
?But there is an urgent need for vigorously stepping up and extending current H5N1 control campaigns in order to prevent the virus becoming widely entrenched. The situation remains of serious concern and will require further national engagement and coordinated international support.
“Bangladesh has a real chance to get the virus under control, if it commits itself to a full-scale comprehensive national control campaign. FAO is ready to continue its assistance and further international aid will be essential to support the country in this huge challenge,? Domenech said.