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No cases of human
avian flu: Chua
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KUALA LUMPUR: Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek has denied that there are cases of human avian influenza in the country. Replying to points raised by MPs during an emergency motion debate yesterday, he said Malaysia has strictly followed the protocol and measures as stated by the World Health Organization. Malaysia's adherence and implementation of the protocols were so strict that there were no cases of the disease infecting humans here. "Until today, there has been no human H5N1 cases in the country," he said. The emergency motion was moved earlier in the day by M. Kulasegaran (DAP-Ipoh Barat) under Standing Order 18(1) of the Dewan Rakyat. Chua said: "It is unfair to accuse the ministry of hiding the number of avian flu cases from the public as we divulge all information on the issue to the press, and hold meetings with health executive councilors of all states to give them updates." He said it was unfair to accuse his officers of being lackadaisical in their duty as they had been working around the clock to conduct health checks and surveillance in the affected areas. |
The ministry had also taken steps to stockpile vaccines, Chua said. Agriculture and Agro-Based Industries Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the ministry had taken the same steps that it took to curb the spread of bird flu in Tumpat, Kelantan in 2004. "However, it is hard to determine from where and how the fowl were infected, and we can only suspect its origins by the virus strain which, in Gombak's case, was similar to the H5N1 strain in Indonesia and there were a number of Indonesian illegal immigrant in the area," he said. "The avian flu case in Bukit Merah was puzzling as the eco-park is clean and well maintained, but the birds there were still affected." "We can only suspect that fowl or products containing the virus may have been smuggled in, he said, referring to the Indonesian avian flu strain in Gombak and the Thai strain in Tumpat. Muhyiddin said most of the farmers understood the reason why their birds needed to be destroyed. He said no compensation was paid out, only aid given to reduce the financial burden of the farmers. A total of RM26,327 was paid out in Gombak and RM231,000 in Perak following the culling exercise. |
In reply to Lim Hock Seng (DAP-Bagan), who had asked why the government kept saying chicken meat was safe to eat when cooked, Muhyiddin said he accepted the challenge to eat the chickens culled in the area and invited Lim to eat together with him. Earlier, Kulasegaran asked whether the public had been informed of the real situation and whether enough steps had been taken to prevent the spread of the virus. "Why was the action late in coming? In Perak, for example, nets could have been placed over poultry farms to prevent the spread of the virus to local birds from migratory birds," he said. Dr Mohd Hayati Othman (PASPendang) said the discovery of avian flu in birds in Gopeng and Bukit Merah called for heightened measures along the rest and recreation areas on the North-South Highway. "The local authority should keep these birds away and remove tree branches where the birds nest," he said. |
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