April 10, 2006

Myanmar bird flu's more serious than initial estimates

Bird flu in Myanmar is more serious than originally thought, with 100 outbreaks detected in the country since the deadly avian virus was first confirmed last month, an official from the UN Food and Agriculture Agency said Monday (Apr 10).

He Changchui, the FAO's regional representative, said that authorities initially believed that the deadly H5N1 virus was limited to two outbreaks.

"The situation there was more serious than we imagined," he said at a conference in Bangkok. "Up to now, there are over 100 outbreaks."

Since confirming the outbreak of bird flu in the Mandalay and Sagaing regions on Mar 13, authorities have slaughtered some 500,000 chickens and quails at more than 400 farms in efforts to prevent the spread of the disease.