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Bird flu

10 April 2006, 18:00 PM
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
By S.A. Mansoor Gulshan, Dhaka
10 April 2006, 18:00 PM
The bird flu now in neighbouring India is sure to be here, if not already here, unknown to us. However the disease, which is air and contact borne, is a danger, which comes from live chicken. It is a potential danger for the people who handle poultry, particularly unsupervised and backyard chicken farms (hatchery) and the wholesale and retail traders in the chain from hatchery to potential buyers. No wonder price of chicken and eggs have gone up these days, for a combination of these factors and lack of proper awareness.

However, this dangerous virus could mutate and be fatal for human beings. Fortunately, there is no hazard if chicken meat and eggs are properly cooked before eating. This has been stated by WHO. One should avoid taking only boiled chicken meat and partially boiled eggs, to ensure that no infection is passed on to the person eating it.

It would be very useful and informative for all of us, particularly egg and poultry farmers and the people in the trade and the consuming public. Detailed information on precautions and counter measures against this dangerous infection should be widely publicised. The audiovisual media both in the public and private sector should propagate this information to create mass awareness, as a matter of public health and safety.

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I would earnestly appeal to our relevant government authorities to take urgent steps for creating mass awareness on the dangers and the protective steps needed. Calamity is at our doorstep. Right now it seems we are going by the proverb: "Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil" , which is dangerous for us.