Bird flu discovered in Bangladesh

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/south_asia/6483179.stm

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The deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu has been found in a small town near the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka.

Thousands of bird have been destroyed at the farm in Savar and the movement of poultry is being restricted within a 10km area, say authorities.

The virus has been found in Pakistan, India and Afghanistan in the last year.

The H5N1 virus can cause illness and death in humans, but scientists say the chances of being infected are extremely low.

Worried

"Avian influenza virus has been detected in a poultry farm in Savar, 25 km from Dhaka," the information ministry said in a statement late on Thursday. "

The government says there is no reason for any panic or concern and has advised the public that "poultry birds and eggs can be consumed as usual through normal cooking".

With the outbreaks of the H5N1 virus in other South Asian countries, Bangladesh has long been thought to be at risk.

The government took tough measures to avoid that possibility by banning the importation of poultry from dozens of countries.

The BBC's John Sudworth in Dhaka says although the government is keen to stress that it has the technical skills necessary to contain the outbreak, many experts will be worried by the news that Bangladesh has its first case.

Many residents here live in close proximity to farmed birds and the country has one of the highest human population densities in the world.

Bangladesh is also situated on major migratory roots for wild birds and this particular outbreak is close to a wild bird sanctuary.