# 591
The headline below appears more alarmist than warranted, unless there is more to this story. Unsaid, but implied, is the idea that these workers are asymptomatic.
Still, it's a testament to how worried officials are that one of these days an easily acquired strain of the H5N1 virus will pop up.
B'desh monitors 100 for suspected H5N1 infection
27 Mar 2007 10:03:59 GMT
Source: Reuters
DHAKA, March 27 (Reuters) - Bangladesh said on Tuesday it is closely monitoring about 100 workers from farms where the H5N1 bird flu virus has been confirmed in poultry.
About 50,000 chickens have been culled since the outbreak of avian flu was confirmed in nine farms near the capital Dhaka and northern Jamalpur district last week.
No humans have tested positive for the disease in Bangladesh but officials are monitoring the workers just to be sure.
"We have been closely watching some 100 farm workers for suspected infection and if necessary their blood and other samples will be sent for tests," Mahmudur Rahman, a director of the government health directorate, told Reuters.
Blood and other samples of 10 other workers from the affected poultry farms also showed they were not infected with bird flu.
The samples were tested at the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research in Dhaka.
Rahman said Bangladesh was adequately equipped to combat human cases of H5N1 influenza.
"We have 133,000 doses of Oseflu, an effective local version of Tamiflu, to combat human-infection by bird flu," Rahman told Reuters.
"These are sufficient, because cases of human infection were very low in the countries where bird flu had been reported so far."
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