Bangladesh appoints avian influenza vaccination committee

An eight-member expert committee has been formed in Bangladesh to devise a plan to start a vaccination programme in the wake of the spread of avian influenza in poultry farms across the country.

Avian Influenza has been detected in 21 out of 85 big poultry farms in Bangladesh this year and over 46,000 chicks have been culled till May 31, officials in Dhaka have revealed.

The National Advisory Committee (NAC) met recently to discuss the issue. The 22-member NAC was formed last year under Avian Influenza Response Plan (AIRP) to prevent and eliminate bird flu in Bangladesh. The NAC formed a technical committee to assess the H5N1 situation and suggest ways to prevent and eliminate it.

The technical committee proposed the establishment of an expert committee to launch a vaccination programme following ‘long-standing demand’ by poultry producers.