Bird flu in Myanmar has been brought under control, and restrictions will be lifted in two affected regions by the end of the month, a livestock official said Wednesday, just days after the U.N. said the situation in this impoverished nation was more serious than originally thought.
Several areas have been free from infection for one or two weeks, said Dr. Than Tun, director of the Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department.
"The situation seemed serious because of several outbreaks around March 24-28, but the situation is under control now," Than Tun said.
On March 13, authorities confirmed bird flu outbreaks in the central Mandalay and Sagaing regions.
A report by a U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization expert who inspected those areas noted that "the last date of bird flu infection and culling (in Mandalay) was April 5 and the disease has been brought under control," the livestock department announced in a statement Wednesday.
It said the FAO expert, identified as Dr. Prasat, inspected the regions from March 28 to April 10, and that restrictions in Mandalay and Sagaing would be lifted by the end of April.
As of Tuesday, authorities had culled a total of 326,884 chickens and 317,305 quails, and destroyed 175,338 chicken and quail eggs, it said.
