Bird flu threat

Experts have pointed out that the country is not prepared to face a quick spread of the disease. We can test whether a suspect is bird flu-positive or-negative, but we have no way of detecting the virus. The international agencies working in this area, especially the World Health Organisation, have made it known that development of a vaccine to combat the disease may take a long time. So the task of coping with it has to be basically accomplished by the national governments at this stage.

Obviously, we have to take as many preventive measures as possible. First, attempts must be made to determine the extent and nature of the danger. The country does not import chicks, but that alone hardly guarantees our safety since the infected broilers may enter the country through different points. So strict surveillance is needed to keep things under control.

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The health authorities have not yet been able to say anything to allay the growing fear over the likely outbreak of bird flu. They have to interact with the livestock authorities and owners of poultry farms to closely monitor the situation. Poultry deaths or any unusual turn of events must be reported quickly so that the coordinating bodies remain abreast of the latest situation.

The challenges that the health sector is facing from time to time are quite formidable. However, there is no doubt that better preparedness will take the sting out of the onslaught of any disease that might spread quickly and cause havoc if nothing is done to contain it. In this case, we are not getting much help from the international organisations, except the warning that Bangladesh is among the vulnerable countries. So we have to face the danger by coordinating the efforts of the agencies which can play a direct or indirect role in tackling the problem.