WEB DESK
Myanmar health authorities have asked the UN’s health agency for help to combat a deadly outbreak of swine flu that has sparked alarm in the commercial capital.
A senior health ministry official said today at least six people have died and 30 more have been infected over the past week, most of them in the country’s biggest city Yangon.
Fearful rumours have swirled on social media since the first deaths were reported and many Yangon residents have donned surgical masks in the hope of warding off the virus.
Government officials have called for calm and warned the public to avoid crowded places such as shopping malls.
The concerns came as authorities in southern Myanmar today announced a five-day school shutdown after an outbreak of bird flu at a local poultry farm.
More than 1,000 chickens have reportedly been culled to prevent the spread of the virus.
The WHO did not immediately respond to a request for comment.