Myanmar calls for continuous biosecurity measures against bird flu

The Myanmar livestock authorities Sunday urged people in Yangon to keep taking biosecurity measures in poultry farms although the outbreak of the avian influenza in the city has been claimed to be under control.

Warning that some residuals of the virus are still in existence, the Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department, in a statement releases here, called on the people to continue to report unusual death of poultry if found and not to sell and consume affected poultry and its products to ensure no recurrence of the virus.

Bird flu broke out in five townships in Yangon over the period from Feb. 28 to March 31 this year, and restrictions on transport and sale of chickens, ducks, quills and their products in those areas was lifted on last April 22.

The five townships were Mayangon, Hlaingtharya, North Okkalapa, Mingaladon and Hmawby.

The statement disclosed that post-outbreak surveillance was carried out in areas three kilometers radius of the affected farms after outbreak containment based on serum and other samples of 44, 000 poultry.

Although antigen was found from serum of a duck farm, no bird flu virus was found from other samples, the statement added.

According to official statistics, during the bird flu outbreak period, nearly 2,000 fowls died of the virus with 65,812 poultry from the affected farms and those nearby were culled.

According to the Myanmar authorities, no human cases have so far been detected with bird flu virus in Yangon.

Source: Xinhua