New Delhi: Bangladesh is set to receive $ 16 million from the World Bank to check the spread of the deadly bird flu virus that has spread to at least 11 of the 64 districts in the country.
The World Bank has approved a $16 million credit for Bangladesh from the International Development Association (IDA) to support the country's efforts to minimise the threat and risk of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).
The Avian Influenza Preparedness and Response Project is designed to control infections in domestic poultry and prepare for controlling and responding to possible human infections, specially an influenza epidemic and related emergencies, a Bank release said.
The project supports the government's National Avian Influenza and Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response Plan, which provides a strategic national framework to control and contain any HPAI outbreak.
The project will also be co-financed initially by a $ 2 million grant from the Avian and Human Influenza (AHI) Facility, which is administered by the World Bank and supported by nine donors, including the European Commission, release said.
At least five million people in Bangladesh are directly employed by the poultry industry and millions of households rely on poultry production for income generation and nutrition.
The UN food agency in May had warned that the bird flu situation in Bangladesh was serious and sought a long-term strategic campaign to bring the deadly disease under control.
The first officially announced avian influenza outbreak in Bangladesh occurred in February 2007.
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