DHAKA (Reuters) - Bird flu has spread to the Bangladeshcapital Dhaka and to the port city Chittagong despite effortsby authorities to contain it, livestock officials said onWednesday.

Dozens of dead crows found over the past two days in Dhakahave tested positive for the H5N1 strain of bird flu. Cityauthorities have ordered a ban on the sale of undressed chickenin Dhaka markets, the officials said.

In Chittagong, officials confirmed the spread of bird fluin several farms and also in crows that tested positive for thestrain.

The virus has spread to 38 out of Bangladesh's 64districts, and forced the culling of nearly 500,000 birdsacross the country.

Bird flu was first detected in Bangladesh at a poultry farm

near the capital last March, but so far has not infectedhumans in the densely populated country.

Lack of awareness about the virus is still widespread inthe country, officials and media reports said.

On Wednesday, a Dhaka newspaper printed a photograph of aman collecting dead crows at the city's main Ramna Park with nomask and using his bare hands.

Touching or eating sick poultry can lead to infection bythe H5N1 virus that has killed more than 220 people globallysince late 2003.

(Reporting by Ruma Paul; Writing by Anis Ahmed; Editing byBill Tarrant)