Bangladesh : Poultry vaccination plan triggers shock

Via BD News 24 :

" The government's move to vaccinate poultry against frequently changing avian influenza virus has 'surprised' experts because globally it is recommended not to use it for public health's sake.

Experts say the available vaccines in the world have been able to reduce poultry fatalities for some time, but the vaccinated birds' capabilities to transmit the disease 'silently' after being infected caused 'massive' human mortalities.

Indonesia, Egypt and Vietnam had been vaccinating poultries but stopped after an influx of human fatalities last year followed when the virus also changed its strain.

Fisheries and Livestock Minister Abdul Latif Biswas on Sunday told journalists that considering poultry farmers' 'long-standing demand' the government planned to 'experimentally' introduce the vaccine.

He said a committee had been formed to finalise the decision to that end.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) experts say they are 'surprised' by the move.

Mat Yamage, Chief Technical Adviser to the FAO Avian Influenza Control Programme, told bdnews24.com that earlier they 'warned' the government against using vaccines.

He said the situation where the vaccine once used was 'serious' and that 'there is no record of successfully controlling H5N1 with vaccines'.

"We would strongly say it should be discussed with technical experts."

Globally, it is recommended that poultry farms maintain bio-security to prevent the virus and government have measures for early reporting, rapid action, culling and surveillance to control avian influenza outbreaks."

Bangladesh : Nipah? Avoid date with raw date sap

Via BDNews 24 :

" As nipah strikes back, with at least five deaths reported so far in Joypurhat district in northern Bangladesh, prospects of fresh outbreaks of this fruit bat-borne viral infection looms large, according to health department officials.

While experts say a simple measure — not drinking raw date juice — can prevent the virus from infecting, government records show it has killed 155 of 201 infected, spreading from one district to another, since 2001, when the virus first struck as an 'unknown' ailment.

"It is totally preventable if we avoid drinking raw date sap," said Prof Mahmudur Rahman, director of the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), which oversees emerging and re-emerging diseases in Bangladesh.

"But once infected, we don't have a cure -- it's highly fatal. This year the fatality has been 100 percent so far," he said.

A highly contagious disease, Prof Rahman said the virus can pass from person to person by contact.

ONLY COUNTRY WITH NIPAH

Nipah was first detected in Malaysia in 1998 but at present Bangladesh, a hotspot for emerging diseases, is the only country in the world that reports the disease.

Nipah has become a cause of concern for the health authorities since it strikes every year during Jan to April.

Though it is believed that border districts of India have the virus, reports are not available from the Indian government to confirm it.

This year, while IEDCR is grappling to check the spread in Joypurhat district's Sadarpara and Khetlal upazillas, where five persons died in this month's outbreak, the district civil surgeon says new suspects of infection are emerging from the area.

"We received at least five suspected infections (in hospitals)," civil surgeon Mozammal Haque told bdnews24.com on Thursday."

Bangladesh : Nipah virus attack confirmed

Article via BD News 24 :

" The virus that killed five people at Jaipurhat in the last four days has been identified as Nipah.

The Institute of Epidemiology Diseases Control and Research (IEDCR) confirmed on its website on Tuesday that the five had indeed died from Nipah. A team from the institute are now working in the affected area.

The IECDR said human infections took place in Joypurhat municiplatiy and Khetlal Upazila.

Of the five deaths, two are from Khetlal and the others from the municipality. They died in Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital in Bogra and Rajshahi Medical College Hospital.

On Jan 21, a five-member IECDR expert team went to Bogra and Rajshahi to collect blood and other samples.

Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital said it had launched a separate unit for Nipah-infected patients."

Bangladesh : 3 more anthrax infected in Sirajganj

Via BDNews 24, anthrax cases are being reported in Bangladesh :

" Three more people have been found infected with anthrax at Shahjadpur Upazila, increasing the list of infected in Pabna district to 49 in the last eight days.

Sirajganj civil surgeon Dr Nazimuddin Khan told bdnews24.com that two people were found anthrax positive at Bara Maharajpur village and one more at Chakharipur village under Porjana union council of Shahjadpur Upazila on Friday.

He said that the patients were given necessary treatment. "A medical team is working in each of the affected areas. The patients are being given treatment free of cost."

Meanwhile, high-level investigation team of the livestock ministry led by livestock department director general Mohammad Ashraf Ali visited two severely affected villages of the district – Saratail in Shahjadpur and Satbila in Ullapara upazilas on Friday.

The remaining members of the team are Dr Mat Yamage (Chief Technical Advisor Avian Influenza Control Program, FAO-UN), director of livestock department (admin) Mohammad Modassek Ali and director (extension) Partharati Sarker, deputy-director Dr Ranjit Chakrabarti.

They collected the sample of blood of 13 cattle of the area."

Bangladesh : Measles infection kills 3 in Bandarban

Article BDNews 24 :

" Diseases caused by measles infection have killed at least three children in Amtali area of Lama upazila last week.

Doctors on Saturday said over 100 Murang children of the upazila had been suffering due to the infection.

Bandarban civil surgeon Sakhawat Hossain told bdnews24.com that one child died in the hospital on Friday, while two others at their own residences on Tuesday.

He said they died due to diarrhoea and pneumonia, caused by measles infection.

Hossain said 17 children were still undergoing treatment at the health complex. Many are being treated locally by a medical team. One medical team has been deployed in each upazila.

Acting health and family planning officer of Lama Shafiur Rahman said measles was spreading in the area due to hot and humid weather and lack of safe drinking water."

Bangladesh : 3 livestock officials suspended

Via BDNews 24, excerpt :

" Dhaka, Apr 20 : Three officials of the livestock directorate have been suspended on charges of irregularities in purchasing medicine spray machines for prevention of avian influenza, or bird flu.

The suspended officials are coordinating director of the vaccination programme of the cattle and poultry diseases Dr Bazlur Rashid, chairman of the machine's technical specification committee Dr Nazrul Islam and its member Dr Sujash Kanti Bhowmik.

Fisheries and livestock secretary Uzzal Bikash Dutta told bdnews24.com on Wednesday that he signed the order suspending the three officials on Tuesday. The order has already been sent to the officials concerned through the directorate.

Besides, Dutta said a letter was also sent to the higher authorities concerned to suspend another member of the quality specification committee.

The official, A K M Yousuf Harun, is the deputy director of Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC).

The ministry sources said that programme coordinating director Rashid recently issued an advertisement in media for purchasing 5,000 spray machines for the programme, in which it was specified that the machines should weigh between 2750gms and 2850gms."

Bangladesh : 30,000 chickens culled

Via BDNews 24 :

" Nearly 30,000 chickens have been culled and 50,000 eggs destroyed at a farm in Gazipur after detection of bird flu infection.

Sripur Upazila livestock officer A K M Ataur Rahman told bdnews24.com that the chickens of Humaira Poultry Farm had started dying on Saturday.

Samples of the chickens were sent to Dhaka immediately and the order to cull them came on Tuesday, he said."

Bangladesh : Another human case of bird flu surfaces

Via BDNews 24 :

" Another human case of avian influenza has been detected in the Kamalapur area of the capital, two days after a 13-month-old girl was found carrying the H5N1 virus in the same locality.

The Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) discovered the fresh case while mopping up the area on Wednesday. It launched a drive in the locality following the detection of first case of the year in the area on Sunday.

IEDCR director Prof Mahmudur Rahman told bdnews24.com that a 31-month-old boy had been detected carrying the virus in their lab. They tested nasal as well as throat swab and blood to confirm the case.

The boy showed up with mild symptoms including fever and cough at the IEDCR and ICDDR,B joint surveillance site at Kamalapur, the director said. Prof Rahman, however, said that the boy was not related to the earlier case.

So far, three people have been detected infected with the bird flu virus since its first outbreak in March 2007 in poultry."

Bangladesh : 15,000 chickens culled

Via BDNews 24 :

" The livestock directorate has ordered culling 14,900 chickens infected with bird flu in two farms of Ashulia and Dhamrai. Upazila livestock officers on Tuesday asked Aqua Land Agro Complex in Ashulia to cull all 7,900 of its chickens and Mayer Doa Poultry in Dhamrai to cull 7,000. Several birds had died at both the farms in the last few days.

The dead birds were sent to the Central Disease Investigation Laboratory (CDIL) on Tuesday, which confirmed avian influenza infection. Savar livestock officer Farhadul Alam told bdnews24.com that culling at Aqua Land had began at 6.45pm in the presence of Dhaka district livestock officer Mohammad Ali. "

Bangladesh : Girl found infected with bird flu

An article from BDNews24 :

" The first case of human infection of avian influenza or bird flu this year has been detected in Dhaka, confirms the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR). IEDCR director Mahmudur Rahman told bdnews24.com that the human infection was confirmed on Monday after testing the samples of saliva and nasal swab of a 13-month-old girl running temperature, who visited an influenza surveillance centre recently.

The surveillance centre is run jointly by the IEDCR and International Centre for Diarrhoeal Diseases and Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B), he said. Family members of the child were also examined, said the IEDCR director, adding that the minor girl, undergoing treatment in IEDCR supervision, was out of danger.

IEDCR was also examining the areas where the child visited with her parents this year, Mahmud said."

Bangladesh : 1600 chickens die in bird flu in Kishoreganj

Via BDNews 24 :

" Bird flu virus has killed 1,600 chickens of a farm in Kishoreganj. On Feb 3, some 8,000 infected chickens were culled at Bagadia in Kishoreganj Sadar. Other 900 chickens were culled at Noapara village of Katiadi Upazila on Monday.

District veterinary surgeon Bahadur Ali confirmed bdnews24.com that the chickens died of bird flu. Sadar Upazila livestock officer Jalal Uddin told bdnews24.com that sample of the infected chicken was sent to the Central Diseases Investigation Laboratory (CDIL) in Dhaka for tests.

The rest, 1,400 chickens, aged 47 days, of the farm would be culled if the report comes positive, he added."