KUALA LUMPUR,
March 30 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is expected to be declared
free of bird flu in a few weeks as no fresh cases of the
disease have been reported in recent days, Agriculture and
Agro-Based Industry Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said
Thursday.
"We are conducting active surveillance in Perak and in
Setapak and Gombak (in Selangor) and have been getting
negative results while routine inspection is going on in all
states," he told reporters after attending an international
discourse series organized by the Nurul Yaqeen Foundation in
Wangsa Maju near here.
He said he hoped that the sale of chicken would improve
after demand dropped following the outbreak of the disease
and despite calls by the government that cooked chicken was
safe to eat.
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Muhyiddin also said that Singapore was reconsidering importing
chickens from Selangor after imposing a ban following the bird
flu cases in Gombak and Setapak.
" ... but we will wait for a month before exporting to Singapore
to ensure that there are no more outbreaks in the other states.
Singapore does not prohibit import of chicken from Johor, Melaka
and Negeri Sembilan," he said.
Muhyiddin said the ministry would adhere to the procedure of
culling birds in the event of an outbreak of bird flu though it
was seen as cruel because it was the best way to check the
spread of the disease.
Scientists, industry experts and researchers were of the opinion
that use of vaccine would not be able to check the spread of the
disease, he said. |
"The vaccine does not guarantee that the virus can be
destroyed and it can remain in the meat and endanger
humans," he said.
Muhyiddin also said that the Ninth Malaysia Plan
(2006-2010) to be tabled in Parliament tomorrow would
incorporate preventive measures against diseases as
agriculture and plantations would develop into major
industries.
For example, he said, RM500 million was being allocated
to fight the foot-and-mouth disease that attacked cattle
and it included getting expertise from Australia.--
BERNAMA
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