From U CHIT MAUNG (2), B.A., A.T.M., Secretary to the Financial Commissioner,
(Transferred Subjects), Burma, to the Secretary to the Government of Burma,
Forest Department,—No. 862—IV.-87, dated the 20th September 1929.

SUBJECT.—Annual Report of the Veterinary Department for the year
                                      ending 31st March 1929.

I am directed to submit the annual report of the Veterinary Depart-
ment for the year ending 31st March 1929.

2. The actual progress towards control of rinderpest and the other
dangerous, but less destructive epizootic diseases, it must be admitted,
is slow. There was a considerable decrease in deaths from rinderpest—
22,061 were reported during the year against 38,385 in 1927-28 and
30,610 in 1926-27. It is not possible to prove whether this decrease is
due to the efforts of the Department or whether it is entirely the result
of other causes. The same methods were used by the Department, which
have been in use for many years past ; and these methods have failed
in the past to prevent the disastrous outbreaks of rinderpest which
have recurred from time to time. All we can say is that if it had not
been for the exertions made by village headmen, district officials and
the staff of the Veterinary Department, it is possible that the loss
caused by rinderpest might have been even greater. It is hoped however
that important improvements of methods are now in sight. The means
which Government departments can employ for the purpose of
controlling these diseases are firstly the immunization of the domestic
animals in the country by inoculation or by selective breeding and
secondly, the stamping out of the disease by the slaughter of infected
animals together with quarantine and standstill orders. A necessary
step towards complete control is an effective system of reporting the
occurrence of the disease. As Mr. McKerral mentions in paragraph 13
of this report the second method—stamping out by enforcing standstill
orders and slaughtering infected animals without the aid of any
preventive inoculation is said to have been completely successful in the
United Kingdom about the year 1865 in freeing that country from
rinderpest. The immunization of stock by anti-rinderpest inoculation
is believed to have been a triumphant success in South Africa. As
the report shows, what is now aimed at by the Department is improve-
ment of its measures against the dangerous epizootic diseases and
especially rinderpest, by both the two methods of immunization by
inoculation and segregation. Selective breeding, however, is not being
attempted in Burma, and slaughter of animals to prevent disease probably
would not be tolerated by the people.