September 6, 2006

Myanmar declares itself free of bird flu

Myanmar has declared itself free of bird flu after a three-month detection programme found no new cases in the country, state-run media reported Wednesday (Sep 6). 

Livestock officials teamed up with foreign experts to determine if the disease had spread after Myanmar's first outbreak of the deadly H5N1 virus was detected earlier this year, the New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported.

During a three-month programme that started in late April, experts found no other bird flu cases, prompting the livestock ministry on Monday to "declare Myanmar as a nation free from bird flu," the newspaper said.

Myanmar discovered the country's first outbreak in chickens and quails in the Mandalay and Sagaing regions in central Myanmar in early March.

Authorities banned transport of poultry and barred the sale of chicken and eggs at markets in affected regions and slaughtered 342,000 chickens and 320,000 quails and destroyed 180,000 chicken and quail eggs to prevent the spread of the disease.

Restrictions were lifted on May 1 after the outbreak was brought under control.

Myanmar has reported no human infections of the H5N1 virus.