# 4362
Earlier this month we received reports of H5N1 bird flu in poultry on farms near Rangoon, the capitol of Myanmar (see Reports Out Of Myanmar).
Today we’ve another report, this time from several hundred kilometers to the north – near the border with Bangladesh – of poultry and wild birds dying in large numbers from an unknown disease.
According to this report, these bird deaths began after poultry was imported from Rangoon, where H5N1 was recently reported. While suspicious, we don’t have any confirmation of H5N1 in this incident.
The source is Narinjara News, which is run by a group of Arakanese living in exile in Bangladesh.
Getting reliable reports out of Myanmar is always problematic, given the tight controls the ruling military junta imposes on the press, so we’ll simply have to wait and hope we hear more about this incident.
A hat tip goes to Twall on FluTrackers for posting this report.
Bird and Chicken Deaths on the Rise in Western Burma
2/19/2010
Maungdaw: Thousands of chickens and other birds have died along the western Burmese border over the last ten days, but authorities have not yet made an announcement regarding the reason behind the deaths.
An official from Maungdaw said, "An official team led by Maungdaw Township Chairman U Tin Own went on Wednesday to Bagon Na Village to investigate where over 100 chickens died in a outbreak all together of an unknown disease."
Bagon Na Village is located on the outskirts of the town of Maungdaw. Veterinarians on the team brought some of the chickens that died at the poultry farm to Maungdaw in order to send them to Rangoon for preliminary tests.
A retired police officer from Wima La Ward said, "The deaths of chickens and birds in Maungdaw Township have increased recently. This is not just an outbreak in a rural area but has also happened in downtown Maungdaw. Many chickens, crows, and other kind of birds are dying in our town."
The worst hit areas are rural areas of Maungdaw Township, where large numbers of birds are dying on a daily basis.
Many people are now avoiding eating chicken or eggs, even though there has been no official alert about the disease in Maungdaw.
A hostess said, "People in Maungdaw are not eating chicken or eggs at present, nor are they going to the chicken markets because they are worrying about the disease infecting people."
