Bird Flu
Over 3,000 fowl culled in Meherpur
Over 3,000 poultry birds were culled and 1,300 eggs damaged at a poultry farm in Meherpur on Monday night following detection of bird flu there, livestock officials said.
Tapaneswar Swami, district livestock officer of Meherpur, yesterday confirmed infection of avian influenza (H1N5) at Sajan Poultry in Keshabpara area of Meherpur town where scores of fowls died over the last few days.
At once, the livestock officials alerted owners of other poultry farms about bird flu.
Aminul Islam Khokon, owner of Sajan Poultry farm, who is also president of the District Poultry Farm Owners' Association, said he at first noticed chickens dying at his farm on Saturday.
He took the sample to the district livestock office for testing on the same day.
The livestock officials visited the farm and collected the specimen and sent it to Dhaka for testing on Sunday.
“After confirmation from Dhaka, we convened an urgent meeting at Meherpur deputy commissioner's (DC) office on Monday afternoon,” Tapaneswar said.
Additional deputy commissioner (ADC) Hossain Ali Khondokar, civil surgeon Dr Abdus Sahid, deputy director of Family Planning Department Dr MA Bashar were present at the meeting.
District livestock officials started culling the fowls on the same night.
Poultry owner Khokon estimated the loss to be about Tk 7 lakh.
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