Officials warned earlier this month that bird flu still posed a potential threat to Myanmar [Burma] despite the government’s successes in combating the disease so far.

“Myanmar has been struck by the virus several times but we’ve been able to contain it before it spread too far or caused big losses,” Lieutenant General Myint Swe from the Ministry of Defence told the audience at the annual meeting of the Myanmar Livestock Federation on February 2.

The meeting was held at the headquarters of the Myanmar Fisheries Federation on Bayintnaung Road in Yangon’s Insein township.

Lt Gen Myint Swe said Myanmar’s success in fighting bird flu hinged on its joint efforts with international organizations.

“Even though we experienced our first human case of the disease in Shan State we were able to successfully prevent the girl’s death, which shows that we are actively cooperating to fight the disease and that we have the necessary transparency,” he said.

He was referring to a case in Kengtong township in Shan State last November in which a seven-year-old girl tested positive for bird flu. However, she was able to recover following treatment at a local hospital.

Minister for Livestock and Fisheries Brigadier General Maung Maung Thein also addressed the meeting, telling those present that livestock entrepreneurs needed to stay vigilant for the disease.

“Bird flu can reoccur at anytime in our country, especially in the cold season (when wild birds migrate), so we always have to be ready to take bio-security measures at our poultry farms,” he said.

He said Myanmar’s past achievements in containing the disease were no guarantee of future success.

“Farmers must take extra precautions to prevent the disease because it may be difficult for the country to fight the virus with our existing facilities of an outbreak occurs on a wider scale than we’ve seen in the past,” he said.

Brig Gen Maung Maung Thein praised the Myanmar Livestock Federation for its efforts to fight the disease in cooperation with government officials and international organizations.

Meanwhile, the Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department issued a warning on February 3 reminding poultry farmers that most past outbreaks of bird flu in Myanmar have occurred from February to April and warning them to take steps to prevent any further occurrences of the disease.

It warned villagers not to set up poultry farms near lakes, creeks and other areas inhabited by wild birds.

It also said farmers should avoid breeding ducks and quails along with chickens because ducks can spread the virus to other birds without appearing sick themselves, while quails are more vulnerable to the disease than other birds.

The announcement said Myanmar has been struck by the disease three times: in Sagaing and Mandalay divisions in February 2006; in Yangon and Bago divisions and Mon State last February; and in Shan State, where the lone human case has occurred, in November.
Globally, bird flu has occurred in 61 countries since December 2003 resulting in the culling of about 250 million poultry. Up to February 1, 357 people from 14 countries worldwide had been infected by the disease and 225 people had died.

No human deaths from the virus have been reported so far in Myanmar.