March 17, 2006

Two bird flu cases confirmed in northern Malaysia

Two suspected cases detected last week in Malaysia's northern state of Perak have been confirmed as the H5N1 bird flu, a senior Malaysian official said on Thursday.

One of the two cases was found at an ecopark on Mar 9 and the other at a village on Mar 11, about 100 kilometres apart, Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said.

Five samples from the ecopark sent to the Veterinary Institute were confirmed to contain the H5N1 virus and the samples taken from the village were also confirmed as containing the H5N1 virus.

Muhyiddin said that authorities had taken measures to control the disease, including stricter checks to make sure birds were not removed from the affected areas, culling all birds within one kilometre around the affected areas, and disinfecting chicken coops there.

Muhyiddin said he was confident these measures could prevent the spread of the disease.

Neighbouring country Singapore banned duck imports from the state following the news. The nation imports 86 percent of its ducks from the state and no other poultry product.