YANGON — The sale of poultry products from farms and markets in Tanintharyi Region’s Dawei Township has halted amid a suspected outbreak of the H5N1 bird flu in the area.
“Masses of chickens died at different farms, so we have stopped the supply as a preventative measure,” said Aung Kyaw Myo, secretary of the Dawei Township municipality.
The township municipality on Tuesday imposed a temporary ban on buying and selling chicken and eggs.
Around 1,000 chickens died at a chicken farm in the village of Wel Kyun in Dawei Township’s Htein Thit village tract on Sunday, and the remaining chickens were then culled. Samples have been sent to a lab in Yangon for testing.
U Aung Kyaw Myo said the ban would remain in effect until the lab results return and the chickens are deemed safe for consumption.
The outbreak comes just after H1N1 seasonal influenza has killed three people—one in Chin State and two in Yangon, with more than a dozen other confirmed cases.
According to the health and sports ministry, Myanmar has seen H1N1 cases annually since 2009, although the number of cases varies annually.
Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.
