Vigilance against Avian Influenza Outbreak must continue

The Avian Influenza (AI) situation in Bangladesh has remained stable with significantly less outbreaks reported during the months of February – March 2009 compared with the previous two years. However, the HPAI virus has been identified in specimens from 48 of the 64 districts and the last but one outbreak was reported on June 9, 2009 in a new district (Cox’s Bazar). It is probable that the virus exists in dormancy in the country. 

Bangladesh still faces the risk of further outbreak as 50 % of the national poultry flock (a total of about 207 million) is backyard poultry. The country has a large duck population (about 39 million) and is visited annually by about 21 species of migratory birds in the winter months that can carry the virus. These coupled with the fact that Bangladesh has a high population density, has made the country, along with Egypt and Indonesia, one of the three international hotspots for Avian Influenza (AI). Bangladesh continues to remain a high risk country for AI outbreaks. 

Given these considerations, the World Bank and the Government of Bangladesh has decided during the mid term review of the ‘Avian Influenza Preparedness and Response Project (AIPRP)’, that the World Bank would continue to support the project in a revised scale. The AIRRP, co-financed by the World Bank and Avian and Human Influenza Trust Fund (AHI TF), started its operation since October 2007 and is expected to be closed in December 2012.

The Government has updated the 2006-08 National Avian and Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response Plan for the next three years. The revised Plan (2009-11) identifies new priorities and reflects what needs to be done to contain and control the disease. The revised Plan emphasizes the need for strengthening of active surveillance, awareness and risk communication (particularly for the backyard and small poultry), bio-security, applied avian research for HPAI containment, and appropriate management of internal factors now that the disease is embedded in Bangladesh and strengthening of the national reference laboratory for HPAI. 

The World Bank team in consultation with the Government and other stakeholders has made necessary adjustments and changes in the project scope in light of the experience gained and lessons learned during the last two years of project implementation, and have aligned its support with the revised National Strategy. The World Bank also urged the Government to speed up its implementation. Both the government and the World Bank agreed to reassess the project implementation status and progress again in January 2010.

While the AIPRP is focusing on animal health related HPAI activities, the ongoing World Bank supported ‘Health, Nutrition and Population Support Program (HNPSP)’ under the ministry of health is financing AI-activities related to human health. 

The World Bank is working closely with other development partners including USAID, DANIDA, the Japanese Government and UNDP to combat avian flu in association with FAO, WHO, and UNICEF. The World Bank aims to further synchronize with and complement the activities of other donors, to focus on HPAI surveillance, awareness campaigns, training, strengthening of laboratory capacity and containment of the virus.