Myanmar: Infected Birds But No Public Announcement
# 526
Myanmar is what used to be called Burma. It's capitol is Rangoon.
In fact, it legally still is according to the CIA Factbook. Since 1989, the military junta that took over has promoted the new name, but it has never been approved by any sitting legislature in Burma, and the US Government did not adopt the name, which is a derivative of the Burmese short-form name Myanma Naingngandaw.
The government of Myanmar is considered repressive by most western nations, as it failed to honor the results of their national election in 1990, and has engaged in human rights violations.
Getting any information out of Myanmar is difficult. As this article points out, State controlled media have not mentioned this outbreak to their citizens.
Myanmar Confirms Bird Flu Outbreak In Capital
Myanmar livestock authorities on Thursday confirmed an outbreak of bird flu in the capital Yangon but failed to inform their own people.
"There was an outbreak but it has been contained," said Than Hla, director of Myanmar's Fisheries and Livestock Breeding Department.
"There were no human cases found."
Myanmar's state-controlled media have yet to report the outbreak, which reportedly occurred on Monday, killing more than 60 chickens on a farm in Mayangone district of Yangon.
On Wednesday, authorities confirmed that the chickens had died from the H5N1 bird flu virus and the fisheries department reported it to international health organizations, but refrained from announcing it to the public.
Myanmar has been under military rule since 1962. In 1988 army troops put down a nationwide pro-democracy movement, slaying more than 3,000 of their own people.
This week's outbreak was believed to be Myanmar's second reported outbreak of avian influenza, which has also raised its head in neighbouring Laos and Vietnam this week.
On Tuesday, communist Laos confirmed its first human case of bird flu, a 15-year-old girl who had come in close contact with a chicken farm on the outskirts of Vientiane, where an avian influenza outbreak occured in early February.
