An owner of a bird flu-suspect poultry farm in Bangladesh's western Rajshahi district, about 205 km northwest of capital Dhaka, has been admitted to hospital recently, leading English newspaper The Financial Express reported Sunday.

However, the physicians in Rajshahi Medical College Hospital have not yet confirmed if he is really suffering from bird flu. The person has been kept under observation and his blood samples have been sent to Dhaka for testing.

The suspected bird flu affected person is Ashraf Hossain, 42, of Terokhadia Paschimpara area of the Rajshahi city. He is the owner of a poultry farm that is situated next to his house.

Ashraf Hossain told doctors that bird flu was detected in his farm on Feb. 23 this year and all 600 of his poultry birds were culled under the supervision of the officials of Civil Surgeon, Rajshahi.

The doctors also gave him anti-bird flu drugs and vaccine so that the disease does not infect him.

The livestock ministry said the bird flu has so far affected 46 out of country's 64 districts since the virus was first detected in a Dhaka farm early last year. No human case affected by bird flu has been confirmed so far.

(Xinhua News Agency March 9, 2008)