Blue ear disease, also known as the Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) disease, has been infecting pigs from Paungde township to other areas in Bago region. About 10-15 pigs die from the disease daily in some pigs ties in Bago.

 

Vehicles carrying pigs from the Bago region are stopped and sent back by authorities at the terminal bordering Yangon's Hlegu and Taikkyi with Bago region.

 

Up to mid-May, a total of 79 pigs have died of the disease in Taungoo, while 294 others were found infected.

 

Blue ear disease was first reported in Mandalay in early March when over 500 heads of pig died of the disease. The 500 pigs were among the 2,000 bred in 200 poultry farms in five townships in Mandalay, authorities said.

 

Some pigs in poultry farms in two townships in Nay Pyi Taw, Zeyarthiri, and Popathiri were also found to be dying from PRRS disease. So far, the disease from the dead pigs has not spread to humans but has infected other pigs. There are a total of 9.3 million pigs in the country and about 100,000 pigs are in Nay Pyi Taw.

 

Blue ear disease is the second disease that spread in Myanmar this year after avian influenza (H5N1) which struck the western Rakhine state of Sittway, and Sagaing region's Tantsle township in the first two months of this year.