Bangladeshi authorities say they have slaughtered nearly 10,000 birds in five districts, as the country faces a fresh outbreak of the deadly avian flu virus.

An official in the Department of Fisheries and Livestock says poultry in the northern district of Kurigam have tested positive for the deadly H5N1 strain. The district is the fifth to report the virus since bird flu re-emerged in Bangladesh in recent months.

Earlier this year, Bangladesh culled more than one million birds after authorities discovered bird flu in nearly 50 of the country's 64 districts.

Bangladeshi officials say they are stepping up monitoring and preventative measures.

Authorities have also been culling poultry in response to bird flu outbreaks in two Indian states bordering Bangladesh - West Bengal and Assam.

The World Health Organization says bird flu has killed at least 246 people worldwide since it resurfaced in Asia five years ago. Bangladesh reported its first human case of the virus in May. The infected child recovered.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.