Quoting the Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department (LBVD), the Weekly Eleven said, the ban covers that for commercial purpose as well as for home consumption, according to Chinese sources.

The authorities are also carrying out check on live chickens in Yangon's markets if they carry H5N1 virus or not, the report said.

Meanwhile, Myanmar has stepped up biosecurity measures against bird flu at its borders by banning poultry imports from neighbouring Bangladesh.

Biosecurity checks are also being carried out at the Maungtaw border point to prevent contact between domestic poultry and migratory wild birds moving to Myanmar in the cold season especially at this time, other local report said.

The LBVD has called on people to take preventive measures against cross-border bird flu, saying that the avian influenza was found occurring intermittently in neighbouring countries in both the east and northwest and attributing the outbreaks to migratory birds, carriers of deadly H5N1 virus from one place to another.

In April 2008, the World Animal Health Organization (OIE) declared Myanmar as a bird-flu-free country three months after the country was proved that there was no residual bird flu virus remained over the period since January.

From February 2006 until the last in December 2007, there were numerous outbreaks of the avian influenza in Myanmar covering 25 townships of six states and divisions.

All of the occurrences were blamed on infections in neighbouring countries brought by migratory birds.

Despite the country's bird-flu-free status, the Myanmar livestock authorities continued to call on the country's people to exercise a long-term precaution against the deadly disease.

Further Reading

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You can visit the Avian Flu page by clicking here.