Malaysia says 7 from bird flu area in hospital

[Sally Furniss]

Malaysia says 7 from bird flu area in hospital

22 February, 2006


PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia - A Malaysian minister said on Wednesday seven people staying near the site of a bird flu outbreak were in hospital with respiratory problems, but test results would only be available after a day.
Health Minister Chua Soi Lek told a news conference in Malaysia?s administrative capital two adults and five children aged between 2 and 12 staying within 300 meters of the affected area on the edge of the Malaysian capital had been taken to hospital.
"Those warded are the ones exposed to the chickens," he said, using a common term for hospitalisation.
Malaysia on Monday reported its first case of H5N1 bird flu in more than a year, with the death of 40 chickens last week, in what authorities called an isolated event.
http://www.leadingthecharge.com/stories/news-00147396.html

[Sally Furniss]

Malaysia says 7 from bird flu area in hospital

7 hospitalized as Malaysia enlarges bird flu watch area to downtown Kuala Lumpur
KUALA LUMPUR -- Seven people were hospitalized in Malaysia with flu-like symptoms after a new outbreak of bird flu prompted the slaughter of nearly 500 birds and an alert extending to downtown Kuala Lumpur, the health minister said Wednesday.
Five children between two months and 12 years, and two adults in their 50s were hospitalized on Tuesday with upper respiratory tract infections, Health Minister Chua Soi Lek told reporters.
They were identified during house-to-house checks on Tuesday in four hamlets outside Kuala Lumpur where 40 chickens were confirmed to have died last week of the H5N1 strain of bird flu.
Chua said it was unlikely the five people had contracted bird flu, but were admitted as a precaution.
"We are admitting them for investigation just to be on the careful side because later on if it turns out to be true we don't want them to have been walking around town," he said.
Test results will be known later Wednesday, or Thursday, he said.
"They are in stable condition and they have been put in a ward that is specially prepared for these type of cases," he said.
Chua said 11 health department teams will continue house-to-house check for the next seven days. A total of 161 houses were inspected and 916 people screened on Tuesday, he said.

During the house-to-house checks, government officials seized and later destroyed nearly 500 chickens, birds and ducks, and more than 230 eggs, said Kamaruddin Mohamad Isa, the director for disease control in the Veterinary Services Department.
He said the department has also declared a 10-kilometer (6-mile) radius observation zone around the four villages, encompassing Kuala Lumpur's up-market neighborhoods of Bangsar and Sri Hartamas, and the city center area, including the Petronas Twin Towers.
"Last night we almost finished killing all the birds and chickens in the affected area," Kamaruddin told The Associated Press. "It won't reach Bangsar or the other outer places."
Although highly urbanized and wealthy, Kuala Lumpur has pockets of low-income housing areas such as Kampung Baru, about 1 kilometer (half a mile) from the Petronas Twin Towers, where people keep a few chickens for their daily needs.
The New Straits Times newspaper cited anonymous sources from the Health Department as saying authorities suspect the bird flu had likely originated from fighting ****erels in the villages.
"The ****erels may have been brought here by foreign workers who organized illegal **** fights," the source was quoted as saying.
Malaysia declared itself free of bird flu in January 2005, which was first detected in villages in the northeastern Kelantan state in August 2004 in fighting ****s smuggled from neighboring Thailand. No humans were infected.

The H5N1 virus has devastated poultry stocks and killed at least 92 people, mostly in Asia, since 2003, according to the World Health Organization.
February 22, 2006

http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/international/news/20060222p2g00m0in022000c.html

[Sally Furniss]

Re: Malaysia says 7 from bird flu area in hospital

It seems that Malaysia is being careful. India also did door to door checks.

[Mod Classic Black]

Eight warded as precaution

Thursday February 23, 2006
Eight warded as precaution

PUTRAJAYA: Eight people, including six children, have been warded at Kuala Lumpur Hospital since Tuesday for symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection following the outbreak of the H5N1 strain of avian flu in Jalan Genting Klang.

All were from different households within the area where the outbreak occurred and all had been exposed to sick chickens. They are aged from two months to 57 years.

Three other people earlier warded for observation have been discharged.

Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said among those warded was a seven-month baby who showed no signs of having contracted the flu and was allowed to return home yesterday.

He said five others, who tested negative of the H5N1 virus, would be discharged today while results of the seventh patient was pending.

He also said a 17-month-old toddler was placed under observation yesterday and the results of the test would be known today.

“I want to stress that these patients are not yet confirmed cases and are warded as a precautionary measure,” he told reporters here yesterday.

“We have already sent samples to the Institute for Medical Research for tests and the results will be known tomorrow (today).

“They have been put in separate wards specially for bird flu patients. So far, our 11 teams of ministry staff have conducted door-to-door searches of 161 houses comprising 916 residents within the affected area.

“The door-to-door search for those with flu symptoms will continue for seven days.”

Dr Chua said the ministry had also decided to extend its surveillance to residents living outside the immediate 300m radius.

“We will have a 14-day public campaign to encourage those who feel sick or feverish to go for further check-ups at Kuala Lumpur Hospital or other designated hospitals,” he said, adding that so far there was still no need to quarantine residents in the affected area.

The National Operations Room for avian flu had also been activated and those feeling sick or needing more information could call the hotline at 03-8888 6212, he said.

However, he reminded the public that the country was still at “level one” alert as there had been no confirmed cases of avian flu among humans.

“We have not sought any advice from the World Health Organisation as we feel that it’s an isolated incident and we are capable of handling it,” he said.

The ministry had decided that only Dr Chua, health director-general Datuk Dr Mohamad Ismail Merican and its disease control division director Dr Ramlee Rahmat would be allowed to give the media details of any avian flu cases.

Yesterday, the Health and Veterinary Services Departments continued to cull and carry out door-to-door checks on the four villages.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp...884&sec=nation

[Mod Classic Black]

More than 800 poultry culled

Thursday February 23, 2006
More than 800 poultry culled

PUTRAJAYA: More than 800 chickens, ducks and birds have been culled within the 1km radius of the bird flu-hit area in Setapak in the last 48 hours and the Veterinary Services Department is stepping up surveillance within the 10km radius from today.

The department is roping in staff from other states, UPM veterinary students as well as staff from other government agencies to help in the one-week surveillance.

Acting director-general Datuk Dr Mustapa Jalil said the areas to be covered were Pudu, Hulu Klang and Kepong.

“My advice to residents living in these areas is not to panic. The Government is doing its best to stop the H5N1 virus from spreading,” he told a press conference here yesterday.

“But, if there is any poultry death, the owner must report it immediately to the authorities. Do not touch the dead chicken with bare hands, let us handle it.”

Dr Mustapa said the department had activated a rapid response team to carry out surveillance and taken poultry samples for testing.

“The culling process has been completed and the owners will be compensated according to the rates approved by the Government. So far, 723 chickens, 58 ducks and 54 birds have been culled and 455 eggs destroyed within the 1km radius,” he added.

Dr Mustapa said the department’s operations centre had received many calls asking if it was safe to eat chicken.

“Don’t worry. It is safe to eat chicken. In fact, I am having chicken soup for dinner tonight,” he said.

Members of the public can contact the department’s bird flu centre at 8870 2041/2.

In Kuala Lumpur, 20 Veterinary Services department mobile teams are being deployed within the 10km radius to take fluid samples from poultry.

The department's deputy director-general Datuk Dr Abdul Aziz Jaluddin said swabs taken from the birds would be analysed at their laboratory in Petaling Jaya.

“If no virus is detected within 21 days, we can declare the area free of avian flu,” he said.

Abdul Aziz said they had also ordered pet shops selling birds within the 1km radius, to close temporarily.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp...600&sec=nation