Centralized poultry slaughtering proposed
NST, 28 Feb 2006

KUALA LUMPUR, Mon. — The Federal Territories Ministry will propose to the Government the setting up of a centralized slaughtering and storage of poultry to contain future spread of the H5N1 virus.

Bernama reports that Minister Datuk Zulhasnan Rafique said at present, poultry could be taken anywhere in the city to be slaughtered.

"Perhaps, one proactive measure which we can take is by having a centre for slaughtering of poultry," he said after a visit to the Kuala Lumpur City   Hall   Avian   Influenza    Operation

Room at Setapak today.

In Petaling Jaya, a 17-year-old girl checked herself into Kuala Lumpur Hospital yesterday out of fear that she had caught the bird flu virus.

Having handled chickens in her home, when she had a fever with high temperature, she decided not to take any chances and went to the hospital.

Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said the girl was not staying anywhere within the affected area off Jalan Genting Klang, but was from a different part of the Klang Valley.

"As a precaution, we admitted her to an isolation ward. We also sent her blood samples for tests and we will know the results soon," he said after the ground-breaking ceremony for the Tropicana Medical Centre in Kota Damansara today.

So far, he added, Malaysia was still free from human cases of bird flu.