The New Nation - Internet Edition

Md. Sazedul Islam

Women and children, who are vulnerable to bird flu, should be protected from the disease. Children who play with dead birds or fowls can be affected.

The issue of protecting women and children demand attention as they face risk because they have to touch, deal or use poultry birds, other birds and eggs.

Bird flu - avian influenza - is caused by a virus that mainly affects wild and domestic birds (particularly domestic poultry and waterfoul such as chicken and ducks). It can spread rapidly between birds causing sickness and high death rates, especially in poultry farms and live bird markets where birds are kept close together.

Anyone can be affected if they slaughter the affected birds or touch it while separating its feathers.

Bird flu symptoms in humans are fever, headache, cough, muscle pain, eye infections, pneumonia, and severe respiratory diseases such as acute respiratory distress.

Bird flu has hit poultry flocks across the world and killed more than 175 people since late 2003, most of them in Southeast Asia, according to the World Health Organisation.

The virus has been found in Pakistan, India and Afghanistan in the last year. Wild migratory birds have been blamed for the global spread of the disease.

The first documented cases of bird flu in people appearing in Hong Kong in 1997, when 18 people infected with an H5N1 virus strain were admitted to hospital, six of whom died

Though the government took necessary measures to face bird flu situation, people particularly women and children have been asked to be cautious in dealing with poultry birds and other birds for their protection.

Experts advised people to be aware while buying live fowls because if fowls seem sick, then it has to be avoided. They also asked people not to buy prepared fowls from shop. They also advised people to wash eggs with detergent powder after buying from shops.

They said people should not approach the guest birds and also not allow our poultry birds to go near the guest birds.

They said acute awareness about bird flu could combat the disease. According to UNICEF and World Health Organization,

fence or wall should be raised around farm so that other birds and animals cannot enter into it from outside and main entrance to the farm should always remain closed.

Those who work at farm should wash their hands and legs with germicide. Others who work and provide health service at farm should enter the farm after taking necessary protective measures.

Any vehicles, which intend to enter the farm, should be germ free by cleaning its mud with water and antiseptic.

Fowls and ducks cannot be reared at same farm or on farm premises. Dead fowls should be put under ground or burned and chickens, eggs and foods for domestic animal should be bought from well-known and specific places. Sick or abnormally dead fowls or other poultry birds should not be touched with bare hand. Disease affected fowls and ducks should not be slaughtered, touched or its feathers not be separated. Children should be asked not to go to disease affected poultry birds and not to play with these.

Hands should be washed well with water or wash after touching the poultry birds.

Nose and face should be covered with clothes while looking after the poultry birds and other domestic animals. After touching the poultry birds, hands should not touch eyes, nose or face till the hands are washed.

Meat of poultry birds should be cooked well. Half cooked meat, items made of half cooked eggs or meat should not be eaten. Residents of those areas where bird flu has spread out should refrain from visiting live poultry birds and other birds selling centre or slaughtering place. Stool of disease-hit poultry birds or other birds should not be used as fertilizer or food for fish. If any woman or child suffer from fever and cough after touching poultry birds or other birds, they should visit physicians immediately.

If any poultry birds or other birds die unnaturally, local ward commissioner, local administration or livestock office should be informed about it. People should be cautious while burying dead fowls, ducks or birds. The Fisheries and Livestock Ministry has taken up Avian Influenza Preparedness and Response Project to combat the menace of bird flu.

It said it is safer to eat cooked meat of fowls and full boiled eggs. It suggested following protective measures.

According to ministry, people were asked to buy healthy and live fowls. Hands should be washed well with soap before and after touching poultry birds and eggs, because soap water damage avian influenza virus. After buying eggs, it should be washed well with soap or detergent water.

People were asked to bury dead poultry birds and other birds, not to bring poultry birds, other birds, eggs and poultry feeds from those areas where bird flu has spread out.

Any clothing that has been in contact with the dead bird should be washed using ordinary washing detergent at the temperature normally used for washing the clothing.

Any contaminated indoor surfaces should be thoroughly cleaned with normal household cleaner. Women and children must be cautious and use gloves, dried cloth or polythene bag while burying dead poultry birds.

Eggs should be washed with soap or soda. It should be taken after boiling it well or fried on both sides.

Bird flu can spread through sniffing, coughing and spitting. We should not throw cough and spit here and there and take sniffing by covering faces.

Sick or dead poultry and other birds should be buried under the ground and it should not be left at dustbin, river or water bodies. Hands should be washed well with soap, ash or water after touching eggs, poultry birds or other birds.

If anyone suffers from coughing or coldness two-week after touching poultry or other birds, they should immediately visit nearby health complex or hospital.

-PID