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BIRD FLU
DETECTED IN PENANG |
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TAIPING: Six free-range chickens that were found dead in Kampung Permatang Bagak, Seberang Perai Utara, last Saturday, are confirmed have been infected with the H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus. The Veterinary Research Institute (VRI) in Ipoh made the confirmation yesterday, said Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin after visiting the Bukit Merah Laketown Resort, one of two areas in Perak where the disease was detected last week. He described the latest finding as not a good sign because even before Gombak had been declared free of the disease, two cases had emerged in Perak and the latest in Penang. |
“I have to make this statement because we do not want to be perceived as trying to cover it up or hide it,” he said. So far, none of the cases involved human infection. The operation to cull about 200 fowls within 1 km radius of the place where the dead chickens were found begins tonight. Muhyiddin hoped the latest case in Penang would be the last. The authorities would study the trend of the spread of the disease and find the best method to tackle the outbreak in the future, he said. – Bernama
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