Bangladesh to get $16 mln loan to combat bird flu

DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh will receive $16 million from the International Development Association (IDA), a concessionary arm of the World Bank, a statement from the Bank said.

The project will also be co-financed initially by a $2 million grant from the Avian and Human Influenza Facility, which is administered by the World Bank and supported by nine donors, including the European Union, the release added.

The IDA credit is interest-free and has 40 years to maturity with a 10-year grace period.

Bird flu has spread to 17 out of Bangladesh's 64 districts so far after it was first detected at Savar near Dhaka in March, but there have been no reported cases of human infection.

Veterinary and health officials have culled 257,000 chickens and destroyed more than 2.2 million eggs since the outbreak began.

About four million Bangladeshis are directly or indirectly associated with poultry farming.