March 21, 2007

New bird flu outbreak hits Myanmar
 

The UN reported a new outbreak of bird flu in Myanmar on Wednesday and called for more stringent measures to control the spread of the deadly H5N1 virus.

About 1,600 hens contracted the virus and died over the weekend at a farm in Nyaunghnapin, about 40 kilometres north of Yangon, Myanmar's largest city, said Tang Zang Ping, the Myanmar representative for the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.

Authorities slaughtered the farm's remaining 20,700 birds as part of precautionary measures, he said.

"We need to impose stricter control on movement of poultry, poultry products, chicken feed, eggs and even trucks that carry these materials," Tang told The Associated Press.