Prevention of Bird Flu: Public Awareness Raising Activities in Progress

Like AIDS in the closing decades of the last century, the Bird Flu Virus has been a comparatively new but potent threat to the health of both birds and humans in the opening decade of the present century. Causing what is now called   Avian Influenza or Bird Flu, the virus is capable of infecting and killing birds in their thousands.

Bird Flu has recently made its catastrophic appearance in several countries in both the Eastern and Western Hemispheres, alarming people and governments alike. In Bangladesh it was initially reported in March 2007. The only sensible way to fight Bird Flu is to adopt preventive measures and to raise public awareness to make these measures effective.  BCCP has undertaken different programs and developed a number of communication tools as part of its public awareness raising drive to counter a possible Bird Flu epidemic in Bangladesh and its possible consequences. The program includes development of BCC materials, organizing training for government and NGO workers dealing  with poultry farmers and poultry-sellers, market chain research, KAP (Knowledge, Attitude and Practice) study, etc. The materials developed are posters, brochures and flipcharts on bio-security, learning materials for children on Bird Flu and a toolkit on preventive measures and ways to ensure bio-security at both domestic and farming levels. With the aim of reaching basic knowledge of bio-security management to every household in Bangladesh, BCCP has also developed a one-day training curriculum for government and NGO workers dealing with poultry farmers and poultry-sellers.

Training Program on Bird Flu

Initially the Institute for Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) of the Directorate of Health Services took up a training program on Bird Flu to create a pool of "Master Trainers" who could organize training programs to raise awareness about Bird Flu at the grassroots level. BCCP collaborated with IEDCR and provided a number of trainers to participate in the Master Trainers' Workshop. BCCP also acted as facilitator for the sessions on communication. The participants in the workshop later took part as Master Trainers in the training program at the District and Divisional level.

 

Research Program on Bird Flu

With financial support from FAO, BCCP conducted a study on Market Chain Analysis and bio-security level in 10 urban live bird markets in Dhaka City and 5 sub-urban live bird markets around Dhaka to explore the chain of movement of poultry and poultry products. The other objective of the study was to identify critical points of existing bio-security/sanitary practices in the markets; and to conduct limited virological surveillance for Avian Influenza in the selected wet market areas. The study results provided information on the types of existing biosecurity/sanitary practices in the wet markets that could be considered as baseline information for the communication of biosecurity principles and information to raise awareness on how to reduce the risk of spreading the disease via chain market activities; biosecurity measures in the farm of origin; biosecurity or proper cleaning and sanitation practices and other related information. Workshop on Bird Flu

At the request of Plan Bangladesh, BCCP arranged a three-day workshop on Trainers' Training in combating Bird Flu for its regional officers/managers in Dhaka in April, 2007. The workshop aimed at providing participants coming from Plan Bangladesh partner NGOs with correct and timely information on Avian Influenza  so that they could acquire the necessary skills and competence to fruitfully discuss ways and means with backyard and small-scale poultry farmers and those involved in poultry product production and marketing. To combat Bird Flu, BCCP's facilitators conducted the workshop. Mr. Edward Thomas Espey, Country Director of Plan Bangladesh, in his concluding speech, remarked that the spread of Bird Flu was having a negative impact on the economy of Bangladesh, especially its effort towards poverty alleviation. He lauded BCCP for arranging a workshop on Bird Flu at this critical hour as this was a significant contribution to the effort to  prevent spread of the disease.

Action Plan on Prevention of Bird Flu progressing steadily

A national work plan for the period of 2006-2008 has already been drawn up to prevent a Bird Flu pandemic in Bangladesh. As part of this work plan, the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock has formed a National Multi-sectoral Task Force which in turn has set up a Technical Working Group and a Communication Wing to work out communication programs on Avian Influenza . As expected, BCCP as an organization with long experience in planning and executing strategic communication programs has been working regularly as a permanent member of both the Communication Wing and the Technical Working Group.

KAP Study

In cooperation with UNICEF and WHO and with financial assistance from UNICEF, BCCP has conducted a rapid KAP study on the present state of knowledge of and attitude and behavior towards Bird Flu among representative sections of different classes of people in Bangladesh. The program covered eight regions of the country which included Dhaka, Dhamrai, Gazipur, Sreepur, Rajshahi, Chapai Nawabganj, Habiganj and Chunarughat and collected interviews of people who represented officials from different levels of the Directorates of Health and Livestock, people involved in different capacities in the poultry business, consumers of poultry items and students from primary and secondary levels. The findings of the study contributed towards message and communication strategy development.