Bird flu poses a threat to India, Bangladesh

The dreaded bird flu that has been playing havoc with the poultry industry in several Asian countries in past few years has surfaced again and is likely to spread to distant regions through migratory birds.

India and Bangladesh, which are so far free of this deadly disease that poses health hazards for humans as well, are also at risk now.

"Bangladesh, and to a lesser extent India, harbour large numbers of domestic ducks and are situated along one of the major migratory routes. They have the potential to become new large endemic areas of bird flu infection", the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has warned.

Poultry farmers fear that if the infection comes to India and spreads from the wild birds to the ducks and poultry birds, the poultry industry could suffer huge losses.

Even during the last epidemic in Asian countries, the consumption of poultry products had dropped in India though the domestic birds had remained totally free of this disease.

The industry had suffered losses worth crores of rupees.

Until recently, bird flu outbreaks mainly occurred in Indonesia, Viet Nam, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and China.

But in July, Russia and Kazakhstan confirmed H5N1 outbreaks in poultry and wild birds. In Mongolia, about 90 migratory birds died at two lakes during August.

Between April and June 2005, more than 6 000 migratory birds died due to H5N1 at the Qinghai Lake Nature Reserve in Qinghai Province, China.

In Tibet, China, the death of 133 breeding hens was reported and H5N1 was isolated from samples from these birds.

The FAO has cautioned that the deadly strain of avian influenza, called H5N1 virus, has already been detected in several countries in Asia and is likely to travel along the flyways of wild water birds to the Middle East, Europe, South Asia and Africa.

Birds flying from Siberia, where the H5N1 virus has been recently detected, may carry the virus to the Caspian and Black Sea in the foreseeable future.

These regions and countries in the Balkans could become a potential gateway to central Europe for the virus.

Bird flu has killed more than 60 people in Asia since 2003 and more than 140 million birds have died or have been slaughtered in the effort to contain outbreaks. Health experts have warned that bird flu has the potential to trigger a global human epidemic if the virus adapts and becomes easily transmitted between humans.

FAO has urged countries at risk, especially along the routes of migrating birds, to step up surveillance of domestic poultry and wild birds. Countries should prepare national emergency plans.

Close contacts between humans, domestic poultry and wildlife should be reduced and closely monitored. On farms and in markets, domestic birds should be strictly separated from wild animals to the greatest extent possible.

Vaccinating poultry could also be considered in at-risk situations.

The FAO and the World Animal Health Organization (OIE) have developed a strategy for the control of avian influenza in Asia that will cost over $100 million to support surveillance, diagnosis and other control measures, including vaccination.

So far, donors have pledged around $25 million for this programme.

Flu sans boundaries

Bangladesh and India harbour large numbers of domestic ducks and are situated along one of the major migratory routes

Poultry farmers fear that if the infection comes to India and spreads the poultry industry could suffer huge losses