The Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department today announced that at a chicken farm in Nyaunghnapin agriculture and livestock zone (1) in Hmawby Township, Yangon Division, 1645 of the 22,337 layers were dead due to H5N1 on 17 and 18 March. The remaining 20,692 layers were thus culled.

The chicken, ducks and quails in suspected farms one kilometer around the affected area are being watched and culled systematically. And sales and transport of fowls and fowl products in the farms six kilometers radius of the restricted zone are now prohibited.

Between 28 February and 18 March, the virus was found at a farm of layers, ducks, pheasants or quails each in Mayangon, Hlaingthaya, North Okkalapa, Mingaladon and Hmawby townships. In the cases, 1863 fowls were dead due to the virus, 37,883 were culled, and 39,746 were dead or culled.

The outbreak in the Nyaunghnapin might be due to the virus carried by trays used to carry eggs, feedstuff bags or other small birds or visit of people, and at four farms in Mayangon, Hlanethaya, North Okkalapa and Mingaladon townships, the keeping of pigs, ducks and chicken of local species closely in an area, unrestricted visit of people or visit to chicken and duck markets.

Regarding the bird flu outbreak in Yangon, conclusive evidence is not available yet. Despite preparedness and designating restricted zones and controlled zones, there can be more bird flu outbreaks in the other regions. So, those engaged in the fowl breeding and sales are urged to raise awareness.