Myanmar reports bird flu

Myanmar has reported an outbreak of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus at a chicken farm in the northeast, as reported in state media and international media. Unusual deaths of chickens at a farm in a village in Shan State's Keng Tung township were reported on Nov. 18, and laboratory tests confirmed that H5N1 was detected in some of them, the state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported. Authorities have imposed control measures including a quarantine on the farm, limits on movement of poultry in the area, and disinfection of affected premises. H5N1 began ravaging Asian poultry stocks in late 2003, leading to the death or slaughter of millions of birds. The virus has also killed at least 206 people worldwide. Myanmar has reported no human H5N1 cases.