Four admitted to hospitals with symptoms of bird flu

[Sally Furniss]

This story has been pulled. This is all that is available.
Malaysia Star, Malaysia - 17-march-2006<nobr></nobr>
... Poultry farmer Abdul Razak Abu Othman, whose free-range chickens died from the H5N1 virus, is believed to have suffered from symptoms related to the bird flu.

[Sally Furniss]

Re: Malaysia: Poultry farmer ill.

Malaysian farmer whose chickens died of bird flu also had symptoms of disease
(AP)

17 March 2006
KUALA LUMPUR - A farmer whose chickens died in the latest outbreak of bird flu in Malaysia apparently showed symptoms of the disease, but is now doing well, a news report said on Friday.
On Thursday, Malaysia announced a new outbreak of the virulent H5N1 strain of bird flu in Changkat Tualang village in northern Perak state. The virus was also detected in wild birds at an ecotourism resort in the same state
The Star newspaper reported that the virus was confirmed in nine dead chickens owned by poultry farmer Abdul Razak Abu Othman.<o></o>
It said Abdul Razak suffered from a cough, body aches and lack of appetite, and was diagnosed by a local doctor as having “a type of bird flu virus.”<o></o>
The Star did not say whether the doctor, who was not identified, had conducted diagnostic tests recognized by the World Health Organization, or by the Malaysian Health Ministry. Health Minister Chua Soi Lek was scheduled to hold a news conference later Friday.<o></o>
On Thursday, state Veterinary Services Department officials began culling all chickens within one kilometer (0.6 mile) of Abdul Razak’s farm.<o></o>
“During the time I was ill, I realized that a few of my chickens were dying each day,” Abdul Razak was quoted as saying. He said his neighbors’ chickens have also been dying since last week.<o></o>
The last known H5N1 outbreak in Malaysia caused the death of more than 40 chickens in villages just outside Kuala Lumpur, the country’s main city, on Feb. 20.<o></o>
Officials then culled over 3,000 birds, mostly chickens, to curb the spread of the virus.<o></o>
Malaysia has not officially reported any human cases of bird flu. Human infections elsewhere have generally been traced to direct contact with sick birds, but the World Health Organization is worried the virus could mutate into a form that easily spreads among people, sparking a flu pandemic.

[ukcz]

Four admitted to hospitals with symptoms of bird flu

Four admitted to hospitals with symptoms of bird flu
Jaspal Singh and Chong Chee Seong

FOUR people have been admitted to hospitals with symptoms of bird flu as authorities continue with their massive culling exercise in several villages here.

Two members of a family, a 34-year-old man and seven-year-old boy, who are staying near the Bukit Merah Laketown Resort, were warded at the Batu Gajah Hospital last night after they suffered from fever, cough and sore throat which are symptoms of bird flu.

In Semanggol, which is 10km from Bukit Merah Laketown Resort, two teenage boys were admitted to the Taiping Hospital.

However, medical tests showed that the four were not suffering from bird flu and doctors expected them to be discharged tomorrow.

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/n...cle/index_html

[ukcz]

Re: Four admitted to hospitals with symptoms of bird flu

Four quarantined with suspected bird flu in Malaysia
KUALALUMPUR, March 18, 2006 (AFP)

Four people are being tested for suspected bird flu in Malaysia after developing fevers near the site of two outbreaks in poultry, officials said on Saturday. The four are in quarantine in two hospitals in the northern state of Perak, they said.

"They will be quarantined for a few days. We need to ascertain the cause of their fever," said Health Ministry disease control department director Ramlee Rahmat.

"The (test) results will be known by Sunday," he added.

More than 90 people have died from bird flu in China, Southeast Asia, Iraq and eastern Turkey since 2003. So far, there have been no human deaths in Malaysia due to the virus.

Ramlee said one of the suspected victims was a 43-year-old chicken breeder who lives a kilometre (about half-a-mile) from an outbreak in Changkat Tualang village, and another was his seven-year-old neighbour.

The other two live about 10 kilometres from the Laketown Resort nature reserve where the disease has also been discovered.

http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2006/03/19/wor04.html

[ukcz]

Re: Four admitted to hospitals with symptoms of bird flu

Four in hospital cleared of bird flu
GOPENG, Sat.

Four people who were admitted to hospitals yesterday with symptoms of bird flu were today cleared of the disease.

Two members of a family, a 34-year-old man and seven-year-old boy, who are staying near the Bukit Merah Laketown Resort, were warded at the Batu Gajah Hospital last night after they suffered from fever, cough and sore throat, which are symptoms of bird flu.

While in Semanggol, which is 10km from Bukit Merah Laketown Resort, two teenage boys were admitted to the Taiping Hospital.

Meanwhile, the authorities continued with their culling in villages here.

In Muar, Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said patients brought in with the bird flu-like symptoms would be placed in isolation wards.

"We have intensified sur- veillance including house-to- house checks within a 300- metre radius from where the patients were staying.

"Up to last night, 68 houses had been checked and 278 residents examined," he said.

Dr Chua said those staying within the 300-metre radius and felt discomfort, had cough and sore throat should visit hospitals, clinics or personal doctors immediately.

He refuted a newspaper report that a farmer in Gopeng, Perak, had been diagnosed to have contracted a strain of the bird flu virus.

Meanwhile, the culling of kampung chickens at two villages in Kota Baru will be completed tomorrow.

Perak Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) assistant veterinary officer A. Muniandy said there were about 250 chickens left to be culled in Kampung Changkat Tualang and Kampung Redang Sawa.

So far 606 chickens have been culled.

Vehicles entering and leaving the affected areas are required to be disinfected.

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/n...cle/index_html

[Sally Furniss]

Re: Malaysia reports two suspects of bird flu

Father, son discharged,both tested negative for bird flu
IPOH: A father and son warded at the Batu Gajah Hospital for fever and influenza, following checks on Thursday in two places where the H5N1 virus was found, have been discharged.
They were allowed to go home at 5pm yesterday after testing negative for the bird flu, said Perak Agriculture, Agro-based Industry and Tourism committee chairman Datuk Mohd Radzi Manan.
<table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="7" width="144"> <tbody><tr><td> </td></tr> <tr><td>Mohd Radzi: ?There have been no new cases reported in the state since last week?
</td></tr> </tbody></table> The two were among 298 people from 68 households which were checked by a medical team after the H5N1 virus was detected at Kampung Changkat Tualang, near Gopeng, and Bukit Merah Laketown.
Mohd Radzi said test samples obtained from areas outside affected areas showed no traces of the bird flu virus.
?There have been no new cases reported in the state since last week,? he added.
Meanwhile, the state Veterinary Services department said it had culled poultry and birds in Kampung Changkat Tualang and areas within 1km of the village since the H5N1 virus was detected there.
Assistant veterinary officer A. Muniandy said they included chickens (8,000), free-range chickens (1,341), ducks (31,110) and free-range ducks (15).
Also culled were birds (25), quails (six) and geese (three).
The department also destroyed 882 eggs, he said, adding that officers from the department went on their final rounds at 3pm yesterday to make sure all birds and poultry in the area had been destroyed.
?We will continue to gather samples for testing within a 10km radius of the village,? he said.
Last Thursday, 249 birds from 30 species at the EcoPark of the Bukit Merah Laketown resort, near Taiping, were culled.
A spokesman from the department?s hotline said they received a report of seven dead pigeons in Sitiawan, about 88km from here.
Samples have been sent for testing for the deadly H5N1 virus, he said.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/3/20/nation/13716899&sec=nation

[Sally Furniss]

Re: Malaysia reports two suspects of bird flu

Four people who were admitted to hospitals yesterday with symptoms of bird flu were today cleared of the disease.

<!--start news picture--><!--end news picture-->
They are expected to be discharged tomorrow.

Two members of a family, a 34-year-old man and seven-year-old boy, who are staying near the Bukit Merah Laketown Resort, were warded at the Batu Gajah Hospital last night after they suffered from fever, cough and sore throat, which are symptoms of bird flu.

While in Semanggol, which is 10km from Bukit Merah Laketown Resort, two teenage boys were admitted to the Taiping Hospital.

Meanwhile, the authorities continued with their culling in villages here.

In Muar, Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said patients brought in with the bird flu-like symptoms would be placed in isolation wards.

"We have intensified surveillance including house-to-house checks within a 300-metre radius from where the patients were staying.

"Up to last night, 68 houses had been checked and 278 residents examined," he said.

Dr Chua said those staying within the 300-metre radius and felt discomfort, had cough and sore throat should visit hospitals, clinics or personal doctors immediately.

He refuted a newspaper report that a farmer in Gopeng, Perak, had been diagnosed to have contracted a strain of the bird flu virus.

Meanwhile, the culling of kampung chickens at two villages in Kota Baru will be completed tomorrow.

Perak Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) assistant veterinary officer A. Muniandy said there were about 250 chickens left to be culled in Kampung Changkat Tualang and Kampung Redang Sawa.

So far 606 chickens have been culled.

Vehicles entering and leaving the affected areas are required to be disinfected.