The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Poultry scientists and experts at a press conference in the city prescribed that people could eat as much chicken and egg as they like to meet their protein need because there is no risk of bird flu infection from this cooked food.

There is no record in the world of people being affected by influenza eating poultry meat, they claimed and said that at a time when people mostly stopped taking poultry meet and egg out of fear of avian influenza amid large-scale culling of fowls.

Simultaneously they stressed implementing the existing scientific guidelines for poultry farming to protect the emerging poultry industries across the country from such devastation as witnessed in the country following bird flu scare, they added.

They suggested a staggering figure of loss caused by the destruction of poultry birds and the loss at more than Tk 4,100 crore.

Bird flu virus died in 70 degrees Celsius of heat.

Traditionally we take meat cooked in 100 degrees Celsius in our country. For this reason, without tension or fear the cooked poultry meat and the fried eggs can be taken," said Dr Md A Salek, General Secretary of World Poultry Science Association (WPSA) - Bangladesh Branch and Programme Head of BRAC, as keynote speaker in the conference.

The poultry industry faced immense loss for the spread of avian

influenza virus and 50 per cent of poultry farms already went bust, he said.

The press conference on 'Awareness Prevents Bird Flu Infection in Human Body' was jointly organised by Watchdog Bangladesh and WPSA at the National Press Club yesterday.

Md Mashiur Rahman, President of Bangladesh Poultry Association, said, "Since the guideline was formulated seven years ago, no governments have implemented it for the poultry farmers of the country."

There are some 175,000 poultry farms in the country and in most of them bio-security is maintained. There is enough bio-security at most of the chicken breeding farms, he said.

The government should take proper initiatives through forming an action committee to control the present situation as the great economic loss occurred in the country for the lack of timely steps by the government, he added.

"The committee will give specific recommendations as to how to make the strategy work," said Mashiur Rahman.

Dr Salek said, "The country's rural economy would be hit hard if the poultry industry was not saved urgently. Some 60 lakh people involved in this industry are frustrated."

While mentioning the World Health Organisation (WHO) findings, Dr Salek said the countries like China and Vietnam where people eat raw and uncooked meat remain in risk of bird flu infection but in Bangladesh, people have comparatively less risk of contacting this disease.

"As the number of mix-farming is very less in Bangladesh so the bird flu risk is also less here than in any other countries," he said and adding, "There may be risk if the hands are washed with soap or soda after catering the poultry."

He suggested the people directly involved with broilers and egg business to follow the health rules using hand gloves, masks and aprons to be safe from the scourge of bird flu.