99972 Bangladesh culls 13,000 chickens after bird flu outbreak Dhaka:Bangladesh has culled about 13,000 chickens after fresh outbreak of bird flu in the country last month, officials said Monday.<br /><br />Ataur Rahman, bird flu control room official, told Xinhua, a total of &quot;12,789 chickens were culled so far this year after fresh outbreak of the avian influenza in commercial farms.&quot; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><br />Of the total, he said, &quot;9,526 birds, including 8,821 in a commercial firm in Dhaka, were culled in the first week of this month.&quot; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><br />In January, when the outbreak of the disease was reported, 3,263 chickens were culled.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><br />Habibur Rahman, director general of Bangladesh~s Fisheries and Live Stock Department, said the department has strengthened its surveillance to contain further spread of the infectious disease.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><br />So far, four districts were affected by bird flu.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><br />Officials, however, said with the rise of temperature in March and April, the risks from the disease would gradually ease. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><br />Bird flu was first detected in Bangladesh in a poultry farm near Dhaka in March 2007. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><br />The disease was later spread to 47 districts between December 2007 and March 2008.(IANS) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 0 2010-02-08T13:44:40-05:00 Health