Myanmar town free of virulent chicken-related disease

The authorities have announced that Pyay, Myanmar's Magway Division is now free of Viscerotropic Velogenic Newcastle Disease (VVND), according to the Myanmar Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department (MLBVD).

Following the announcement by MLBVD, the ban on the sale of chickens bred in the affected township has been lifted, according to local news on Sunday (Mar 15).

VVND struck the township in January this year, culling over 10,000 infected chickens in the area.

Meanwhile, VVND, which struck Maha Aungmye last month, one of the municipal townships in Myanmar's second largest city of Mandalay, has also been under control since early this month.

The disease was detected after some quails died suddenly in a quail farm in the township on February 9, 2009. Sale of chickens and quails were then also banned in the Mandalay market.