Special Report: Global fight against bird flu

    YANGON, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar will carry out restoring and restructuring of poultry farms in bird-flu-hit areas after the avian influenza was claimed to have been successfully contained and restriction of movement in the 13 bird-flu-affected townships been lifted, according to an official reminder to livestock breeders Friday.

    Surveillance of bird flu at poultry farms will be conducted for three months with breeding of chickens as sentinel birds, construction of saved bio-security poultry farms, establishment of new network among the breeders and talks on prevention against bird flu to be attached, said the reminder of the Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department.

    Myanmar reported for the first time on March 13 the outbreak of H5N1 bird flu in two divisions of Mandalay and Sagaing and since then altogether 342,000 chickens, 320,000 quails and 180,000 eggs as well as 1.3 tons of feedstuff have been destroyed at 545 poultry farms.

    The outbreak of the disease was claimed to have been under control since April 8 and restriction on flow of poultry products among states and divisions have been lifted since May 1.

    The reminder urged the chicken breeders to trade poultry farming products systematically.

    Meanwhile, medical experts in Myanmar have urged the people to continue to remain alert against probable bird flu revival despite success in containing the deadly disease.

    In prevention and education against bird flu among the public in Myanmar, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) was reported to lead in a 1.8-million-U.S.-dollar joint media project with the Myanmar government and non-governmental media.

    The International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) and Red Crescent Society will also fund some training programs in the country later this month on bird flu prevention undertakings. Enditem