Myanmar reports outbreak of H5N1 bird flu on poultry farm: OIE

[July 25, 2017] PARIS (Reuters) - Myanmar has reported an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu on a farm in the southern Tanintharyi Region, the Paris-based World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) said on Tuesday, citing a report from Myanmar's livestock ministry.

The virus was detected on July 16 on a farm of 5,000 Lohmann layers in Dawei where it killed 1,806 birds, the ministry said, pointing to a lack of biosecurity on the farm and illegal processing in front of the farm.

The report of an outbreak of H5N1 outbreak in poultry comes a day after the government said 13 people were confirmed to have contracted H1N1 influenza and a boy had died with flu-like symptoms, raising fears of a new outbreak of a virus also known as swine flu.

(Reporting by Sybille de La Hamaide and Gus Trompiz)

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