New Straits Times 19 Mar 17;
SEGAMAT: There is no necessity to quarantine areas found positive for H5N1 bird flu for the time being, says Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S.Subramaniam.
He said this was because there had not been any cases of H5N1 infection affecting humans and the Health Ministry was making efforts to ensure it would not happen.
The ministry is implementing various preventive measures and giving awareness to those concerned.
“We are disseminating information on health care by putting on protective wear such as face mask, apron and gloves to ensure that those handling chicken do not come in contact with chicken fluid,” he told reporters here tonight.
Earlier he attended a Segamat District Information Office dinner here with about 200 people including media personnel.
According to Kelantan Veterinary Services Department today, two new locations had been found positive for H5N1 in Pasir Mas.
– BERNAMA
H5N1 outbreak: 30,927 birds culled, 11,804 eggs destroyed as of Friday
Sharifah Mahsinah Abdullah New Straits Times 18 Mar 17;
KOTA BARU: The State Veterinary Services Department has culled more than 30,927 birds and destroyed 11,804 eggs in its operation to curb the spread of avian flu H5N1 in Kelantan since early this month.
The department, in a statement today, said the figures were accurate as of Friday. It said that 28 locations in six districts have been hit with the virus, including two new locations detected in Pasir Mas yesterday.
Kota Baru recorded the highest number of locations affected by the virus with a total of 14 areas, followed by Pasir Mas (six) and Tumpat (three). The others are Tanah Merah and Bachok.
"At the two new locations in Pasir Mas, the department has culled 554 birds and destroyed 415 eggs," the statement said.
The department added it would continue to carry out surveillance at all the 28 locations from time-to-time and so far, its officers have taken samples from more than 3,000 birds.
No new bird flu locations in Kelantan, situation under control
The Star 19 Mar 17;
KOTA BARU: There has been no new location in Kelantan found to be affected by the bird flu (H5N1) epidemic, said the state Veterinary Services Department.
The department said 426 fowls and 463 eggs were culled on Saturday and that the monitoring will be continued.
"As of yesterday (Saturday), 28 locations in six districts have been confirmed to be positive for the H5N1 virus, namely Kota Baru (14 locations), Pasir Mas (six), Tumpat (three), Tanah Merah (one), Bachok (one) and Pasir Puteh (three), involving 43 premises.
"A total of 31,353 fowls and 12,267 eggs have been destroyed. As many as 3,012 samples were taken from 502 owners," the department said in a statement.
It said the epidemic had been brought under control within a 30km-radius of Kampung Pulau Tebu covering six districts affected by the virus.
"The situation is under control and confined to the affected areas, involving only free-range chicken of small rearers. Roadblocks were set up to control the movement of fowls from Kelantan," it said.
"To date, there has been no cases of infection among humans.
"The public are urged to report to the nearest Veterinary Department if there are instances of chicken death," the statement said.
On March 15, the Kelantan state government was reported to have declared the bird flu epidemic (H5N1) a state disaster after several free-range chickens died from the disease in Kampung Pulau Tebu, Tunjong here on March 6. - Bernama
