The Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department under the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries has issued notifications on poultry diseases as there was a change in the weather.

The outbreak of poultry diseases including newcastle, bronchitis, cholera and avian flu are quite common in winter. And there can be complications in outbreaks and diagnostic symptoms and mortality rates among those diseases.

In the winter, migratory birds often carry virus that causes such avian diseases and infect chickens, birds and ducks. There was a complication among cholera and other avian diseases at some poultry farms in Nay Pyi Taw Pyinmana Township in the second week of December 2008, in Pyay, Amarapura and Maha Aungmyay Townships in January and February in 2009.

The reason is that those poultry farms received no further vaccines and the potency of vaccines given ran out. Being a highly contagious disease, newcastle disease caused a large number of poultry deaths. As preventive measures, steps are to be taken for banning all the affected poultry from reaching consumers, culling them and disinfecting the poultry farms.

In the meantime, for bio-security, proper poultry farms are to be built in breeding zones while separating poultry and ducks from other animals so that diseases cannot easily spread.

Moreover, items used in poultry farm, vehicles and packaging materials are to be properly disinfected. People are to come forward with information on unusual death of chickens and birds to the Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department and local livestock breeding federations.

All in all, the entire people are urged to strictly follow the notifications on poultry diseases issued by the Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department, and only then, will the prevention of avian diseases be possible and effective.