$0.5m US aid to help prevent avian flu spread

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FE Report
The United States has provided $500,000 to help prevent the spread of avian influenza in the poultry markets across Bangladesh.
The project, funded by the United States government through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is being implemented by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in close collaboration with the Department of Livestock Resources and city corporations throughout the country.
"Working together, this project will protect animal health, provide people access to safer food supplies and reduce the risks of this highly pathogenic virus from becoming a public health epidemic," a US embassy press statement said in Dhaka Tuesday.
Poultry markets have been identified as a major source by which the avian influenza virus spreads across the world.
"To combat this disease here in Bangladesh, the US government is providing funds to renovate 18 live bird markets in Dhaka, Rajshahi, Sylhet, Barisal, Chittagong and Khulna," the statement added.
In the capital, Dhaka, the renovations are complete at Gulshan 1, Kawran Bazar, New Market, South JatraBari wholesale market and the South Jatrabari Wet Market.
"After renovation, these markets will have reliable electricity and water supplies and improved drainage systems. Each market will have also have separate areas for cleaning and disinfecting vehicles that transport poultry products. The initiative will reduce the risks of spreading avian influenza from the bazaars, ensuring safer food and improved public health," it noted.