Mizzima News

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – Newcastle disease killed chickens in two poultry farms in Prome early this month, local residents said.

Of a total of 60 poultry farms in Prome, Pegu Division, only two poultry farms from Ywabe Ward suffered from the disease where about 250 chickens died.

"Yes, the chickens here are suffering from the disease.... The spread of the disease is severe and serious. Some said it is the Newcastle disease," a local resident told Mizzima.

Officials from the Animal Husbandry Department and Health Department came and inspected the poultry farms affected by the disease on January 15. They conducted clearing dead chickens and disinfecting the farms.

The infectious disease has not yet spread to other places, it is learnt.

An official from Ywabe Ward Peace and Development Council explained what happened when contacted.

"The infected chickens which died have been cleared from the farms by the authorities. We heard that it is called the (twisted neck) Newcastle disease," he said.

Similarly this disease infected chickens in Paunglaung and Uyinsu villages in Pyinmana, Naypitaw, the seat of the government, in the first week of December last year. It left over 200 chickens from three poultry farms dead. All the infected farms had to be destroyed.

Myint Myint Than, an official from Rangoon Veterinary Department and a pathologist said that the Newcastle disease cannot spread to human beings.

"It is called twisted neck disease because the symptoms of the disease are cough, sneezing, and finally death from twisted necks. So we call it the twisted neck disease. If the chickens are not given immunization for this disease, it will die. Some of them will recover from the illness but most of them will be re-infected soon after," she said.

This twisted neck disease is called 'Newcastle disease' named after Newcastle, England as it was first found in this city, Myint Myint Than added.