The Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department of Myanmar Friday called on the public to continue to take biosecurity against recent fresh bird flu outbreak, warning that remnant H5N1 virus is still striking the country.

The call came after some four new cases occurred at farms in three townships in Yangon and Bago divisions.

The authorities said the residual virus was found in Hmawby, Insein and Bago townships during the post-outbreak surveillance period which ran from May 7 to June 9.

During the period, a total of nearly 2,000 chickens were culled for risk prevention, the report said.

Bird flu, which broke out in five townships in Yangon over the period from Feb. 28 to March 31 this year, was claimed to have been contained 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 department has urged people to keep taking of biosecurity measures in poultry farms although the outbreak of the avian influenza in the city has been claimed to have been under control.

Warning that such residuals of the virus are still in existence, the department called on the people to continue to report unusual death of poultry if found and not to sell and consume and affected poultry and its products among measures introduced in order to control the residuals of the H5N1 virus and to ensure no recurrence of the virus.

According to the authorities, 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.

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.

In fight against the disease, Myanmar has been cooperating with experts from the Food and Agriculture Organization and USAID.

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

Source: Xinhua