# 1609
That's the assessment of Bangladesh's livestock department scientific officer Biddyut Kumar Das.
Tens of thousands of birds were culled on Sunday, and while no human infections have been documented, hundreds of people are under observation.
More from The Straits Times.
Feb 4, 2008
Bangladesh bird flu spreads amid massive slaughter
DHAKA - BANGLADESH has slaughtered 50,000 more poultry to combat a severe outbreak of bird flu that continues to spread across the country, officials said on Monday.
The birds were culled near the capital Dhaka as the deadly H5N1 strain spread to a new district. The virus is now present in 35 of the country's 64 districts, the country's livestock department said.
'On Sunday, the flu was detected in 10 new farms, forcing the livestock department to slaughter all the birds in the area,' livestock department scientific officer Biddyut Kumar Das said.
Efforts to cull birds in the western Kushtia district will continue on Monday, Mr Das said.
'The situation is not good. There is no sign of improvement.'
The department said nearly 50,000 birds were slaughtered on Sunday in the single biggest cull since the deadly virus was detected on a farm near Dhaka in February last year.
No human infections have been reported in Bangladesh since the latest outbreak began last month, but a health official said at least 781 farmers had been given anti-viral drugs as a precaution.
'Among them, we are following up the health status of at least 550 people. They will be watched for at least two weeks,' said Mr Benajir Ahmed, a senior health department official.
The government has also ordered major hospitals to set up isolation units.
'We've also confined several people in their homes,' government spokesman Mahmudur Rahman said on Saturday.
