November 7, 2005

Malaysian officials rule out bird flu in pigeon deaths
 

About 100 dead pigeons have caused a bird flu scare in a Malaysian town, but tests showed the birds did not have the virus, an official said Sunday.

"The test results confirm that it not avian flu," Veterinary Services Director-General Hawari Hussein told the Associated Press.

Hawari said veterinary officials hope to establish the cause of death after further tests.

The Sunday Star newspaper said it could be a case of the birds being poisoned, as pigeons had become a nuisance in Bidor town, about 120 kilometres north of Kuala Lumpur.

The authorities, however, still ordered all clinics in the town to be on alert for people with bird flu symptoms such as high fever, coughing and breathing problems, the paper said.

It is not clear when the dead pigeons were discovered. Local officials could not be contacted Sunday for details.

Malaysia officially declared itself free of bird flu in January, six weeks after more than 18,000 birds and poultry were culled in areas where the virus showed up in chickens in north peninsular Malaysia bordering Thailand.