Tackling bird flu in the future
Sunday, 16 March 2008
A country with bird flu suffers an image problem. Even favourite destinations like -- Hong Kong and Canada -- were sort of blacklisted ones for a while after a few human beings there were reported to have been infected by avian flu.
So, there is reason for the government to address the bird flu infection confined to poultry. Assuring people that it is safe to boil chicken meat at high temperatures, is not enough.
Though the problem has now partly been overcome, the government of Bangladesh does need to pay attention to save the poultry industry. It should not distract its attention from carrying out the vaccination programme, as and where necessary. Italy experimented with vaccination of poultry birds against bird flu and it proved to be a big success. So, the government can contact the Italians to get the vaccine.
The government's veterinary inspectors should continue to visit each poultry farm to see the situation there. They should train the poultry farm operators on a regular basis on surveillance, how to cope with the problem and the safe way of handling the infected birds in the future.
Shireen Sultana
Rayerbazar, Dhaka.
So, there is reason for the government to address the bird flu infection confined to poultry. Assuring people that it is safe to boil chicken meat at high temperatures, is not enough.
Though the problem has now partly been overcome, the government of Bangladesh does need to pay attention to save the poultry industry. It should not distract its attention from carrying out the vaccination programme, as and where necessary. Italy experimented with vaccination of poultry birds against bird flu and it proved to be a big success. So, the government can contact the Italians to get the vaccine.
The government's veterinary inspectors should continue to visit each poultry farm to see the situation there. They should train the poultry farm operators on a regular basis on surveillance, how to cope with the problem and the safe way of handling the infected birds in the future.
Shireen Sultana
Rayerbazar, Dhaka.