First human case of H5N1 Bird flu found in Bangladesh

Bangladesh’s first human case of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu has been detected, health officials said today, calling on residents not to panic.

A child from the capital Dhaka was found to be infected by the virus in January and treated for respiratory trouble, said a statement from the Directorate General of Health Services, adding that the child was recovering.

The details were released after Bangladesh received confirmation from the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, the statement said.

The child’s name, age, or other details about the case were not released.

Scientists fear that the H5N1 strain of bird flu virus – which began ravaging Asian poultry stocks in late 2003 – could mutate into a form that spreads easily among humans, potentially sparking a pandemic that kills millions. So far, most human cases have been linked to contact with infected birds.

In its latest report released at the end of April the World Health Organisation said 382 people have come down with bird flu since 2003, and 241 of them have died.

Bangladesh is the 15th country to report a human case of virus, according to the WHO.

Experts say an outbreak could be particularly calamitous for Bangladesh, a nation of some 150 million people.

“It’s a very, very bad signal for us,” said M.M. Khan, an adviser to the Bangladesh Poultry Industries Association.

“Any widespread outbreak could be disastrous for Bangladesh because of high concentration of population and poorly equipped public health care system,” he said.

Nevertheless, Bangladesh’s health officials said there was no cause for alarm.

“There is no reason to panic. The situation is under control,” said the statement, signed by Moazzem Hossain, the director of the Centre for Disease Control.