Myanmar's Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department (LBVD) Saturday called on farmers to take preventive measures against outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in draught cattle.

The appeal came after foot-and-mouth disease has been found in buffaloes and cows recently in Myanmar's cyclone-hit areas.

The disease has hit buffaloes and cows used in recultivation of agricultural fields in four storm-hit townships, namely, Laputta, Kyonmange, Wakema and Kawmu in Ayeyawaddy delta and Yangon division.

The foot-and-mouth virus can spread to other less-resistent animals in distant areas through air in the early wet monsoon season, the months of June and July, when the weather has just changed from the dry and hot to wet, state-run The Myanma Alin newspaper quoted the LBVD's report as saying. Buffaloes and cows can also be infected from sheep, goat and pig.

The LBVD urged farmers not to tend their buffaloes and cows in the pasture for fearing of infection if such disease occurred in their surrounding areas.

The already-infected cattle must be separated from other cattle and rendered treatment, it stressed.

The LBVD also urged the farmers to inform the respective regional authorities, livestock breeding and veterinary department as soon as the disease was found, and cooperate in rapid response to control the disease.

The animal-borne-disease was said to have been caused by sustained touching of cattle's foot with sea water, especially buffaloes which were inflicted the heaviest blow by the storm.

So far, no cattle has been reported to have died of the disease.

According to official statistics, during the cyclone storm, more than 200,000 heads of cattle including buffalo, cow, sheep and pig, and over 2.27 million livestock including chicken and ducks were killed in the two divisions.

Deadly cyclone Nargis, which occurred over the Bay of Bengal, hit five divisions and states -- Ayeyawaddy, Yangon, Bago, Mon and Kayin on May 2-3, of which Ayeyawaddy and Yangon inflicted the heaviest casualties and massive infrastructure damage.

The storm has killed 84,537 people and left 53,836 missing and 19,359 injured according to the latest official statistics.

(Xinhua News Agency June 28,2008)