VZCZCXRO0373
OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHGO #0081/01 0411044
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 101044Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY RANGOON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9821
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 2480
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 2408
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 5342
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 5903
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 9466
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 7093
RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU 1933
RUEHCHI/AMCONSUL CHIANG MAI 2416
RUEHCI/AMCONSUL KOLKATA 0766
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHDC
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHINGTON DC
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 RANGOON 000081 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS, G/AIAG; 
PACOM FOR FPA; 
USDA FOR FAS/PECAD, FAS/CNMP, FAS/AAD, APHIS; 
APHIS:RTANAKA, REO:HHOWARD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAGR EAID AMED PGOV PREL CASC TBIO KFLU BM
SUBJECT: BURMA: AVIAN INFLUENZA DETECTED IN POULTRY 
 
REF: A. 2007 RANGOON 212 
     ¶B. 2007 RANGOON 221 
     ¶C. 2007 RANGOON 274 
     ¶D. 2007 RANGOON 287 
     ¶E. 2007 RANGOON 489 
     ¶F. 2007 RANGOON 1180 
     ¶G. 2007 RANGOON 1210 
 
RANGOON 00000081  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
HPAI Detected in Rangoon Chickens 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶1. (SBU)  Burmese health officials confirmed February 5 they 
have identified an outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian 
Influenza (HPAI) at a poultry farm in Rangoon's Myangone 
Township.  The initial outbreak, detected February 1, was 
reported to health officials on February 2, and appeared to 
have a 100 percent mortality rate among infected birds. 
Officials with Burma's Livestock Breeding and Veterinary 
Department (LBVD) reported that health officials quarantined 
the farm, culled 2,355 chickens, burned the carcasses, and 
buried associated waste on site February 2-3.  The exile news 
outlet Mizzima reported the farm is owned by the Burmese 
Army's Rangoon command, as are many poultry farms in the 
area.   The Burmese language version of the GOB controlled 
daily New Light of Myanmar reported details of the current 
outbreak on February 6 but did not identify the farm's owners. 
 
¶2. (SBU) This is the first known incidence of AI here since 
2007 when GOB health officials reported a series of outbreaks 
at poultry farms in Rangoon, Mon State, Shan State, and Bago 
Division from February through December, including a human 
case in Shan State. 
 
GOB Forms Interagency Teams to Respond 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) GOB officials held an interagency meeting on 
February 8 to plan next steps.  Meeting participants formed a 
rapid response team, a culling team, a disinfecting team, a 
surveillance team, a laboratory support team, and a marketing 
and movement control team to handle this case and prepare for 
a potential spread of the disease.  The disinfecting team 
will attempt to sanitize the current outbreak site three 
times over the next 21 days.  Simultaneously, LBVD officials 
will attempt to track movement of people and materials to and 
from the site for the ten days that preceded the February 1 
outbreak.  They will also monitor potential outbreak sites in 
concentric circles around the affected farm.  The first 
perimeter, encompassing the 'infected area,' extends one 
kilometer from the farm and does not contain any other 
concentrations of poultry.  The second perimeter, the 
'restricted area,' extends from one to three kilometers from 
the farm and contains at least 20 additional poultry farms. 
 
Vector Unknown 
-------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) The vector for this outbreak remains unknown.  LBVD 
officials are focusing on a small number of domestic ducks 
and barnyard chickens (as opposed to the farm's commercial 
egg layers) resident on the farm, infection via wild birds, 
infection via contaminated egg trays from another farm, and 
infection via a 'dangerous contact person,' or someone whose 
occupation puts him/her in contact with poultry at multiple 
sites (e.g. a delivery driver) as possible sources. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Burmese health officials verified the HPAI presence 
using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test conducted with 
 
RANGOON 00000081  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
equipment donated to Burma by the Government of Japan. 
 
Chicken and Egg Sales Restricted 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) According to contacts at the Yangon City Development 
Committee, health officials banned the sale of poultry 
products  in the Rangoon-area Myangone and Okkalpa Townships 
in response to the outbreak.  Poultry and eggs are not 
restricted elsewhere in the city and remain available in 
local markets. 
DINGER