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KUALA LUMPUR: All states have been ordered to conduct comprehensive sampling of birds nationwide following the discovery of three new bird flu cases in Perak yesterday. “Previously, sampling was done in affected areas only, but now it has to be carried out in all states,” Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said at the Parliament lobby. The latest bird flu cases were detected in Kampung Changkat Legong near Gopeng, at the Titi Gantung Agriculture Training Institute in Bota, and at Taman Lapangan Perdana in Ipoh. Muhyiddin said Malaysia was no longer exempt from the avian flu virus. “We are worried about the rapid spread of the virus. We have intensified our contingency plan to control the situation,” he said. In Putrajaya, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the Government was prepared should there be more cases. “We are always in a state of readiness |
to deal with any situation that may crop up anywhere in the country,” he said. Abdullah said he was briefed by Muhyiddin and Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek yesterday morning. Muhyiddin believed that migratory birds were the likely cause of avian flu infection in Malaysia, which compounded efforts to contain the spread as it is near impossible to control migratory birds. One preventive measure, he said, was banning the slaughter of poultry in wet markets and in the open. So far, no one has been infected in Malaysia. The minister said the Federal Territory and Perak governments had approved the ban on open slaughtering of poultry. “The states, which have the power to stop open slaughtering, should do so before it's too late,” he said. In the meantime, the ministry will step up its education and awareness campaigns on bird flu among villagers, as the cases have been found in villages and not commercial farms. |
“We will also discuss with the state governments whether all birds in their villages should be culled,” he added. Muhyiddin said there was a manpower shortage in his ministry but other departments and agencies were helping out. “Our personnel have been stretched to the limit working day and night.” He said he would ask the Cabinet to increase the number of virologists to ensure faster results from sample tests. “It now takes about two to three days – and is still manageable. But we don’t want to wait two to three weeks if we have tens of thousands of samples coming in,” he said. Muhyiddin said he would meet Dr Chua tomorrow to discuss further measures.
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