The International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) and Red Crescent
Society will start training Myanmar people across the country later this month
on bird flu prevention undertakings, a local weekly reported Monday.
Funded by the IFRC, the training will be aimed at raising Myanmar people's
alert against any probable revival of the avian influenza at any time although
the outbreak of the disease has been claimed under control, said the Voice,
quoting the Myanmar Red Cross Society (MRCS).
In cooperation with the MRCS, the training will be carried out from states
and divisions to rural areas according to a decision adopted at a special
meeting held recently which also involved the World Health Organization, the
United Nations Children's Fund and the Livestock Breeding and Veterinary
Department.
Myanmar experienced two-month-long bird flu outbreak in March-April this year
and was claimed to have been successfully contained and restriction of movement
in the 13 bird-flu-affected townships of the two divisions have been lifted with
no new such case being found since April 7 as also claimed by the Food and
Agriculture Organization Yangon office.
Meanwhile, the UNICEF will also lead in a 1.8-million-US-dollarjoint media
project with Myanmar government and non-governmental media on prevention and
education against bird flu among the public, earlier reports said.
Myanmar reported for the first time on March 13 the outbreak ofH5N1 bird flu
in two divisions of Mandalay and Sagaing as some 112 chickens died of the
disease on March 8 in a poultry farm in Pyigyidagun township in Mandalay.
During the period, altogether 9,206 fowls from 408 poultry farms and 5,606
quails from 137 quail farms were culled and 330,000 fowls and 320,000 quails
destroyed. Besides, about 100,000 eggs about 80,000 quail eggs were also
destroyed.