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NEWS WITHOUT BORDERS :: Local News
M'sia ready for new avian flu outbreak: Liow
Alyaa Alhadjiri
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
PETALING JAYA (Nov 18, 2010): Malaysia is prepared to face any new outbreak of avian flu (H5N1), Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said today, after Hong Kong recorded its first human case of avian flu since 2003.
He said all mitigation systems are already put in place.
"We have never let our guard down as Malaysia is still faced with H1N1 (Influenza AH1N1)," Liow told theSun.
He said health screenings are conducted at all the major entry points for travellers who displayed symptoms of Influenza-Like Illnesses (ILI).
On Wednesday, Hong Kong recorded its first human case of avian flu since 2003 after a 59-year-old woman was hospitalised in a serious condition.
(H5N1 symptoms in humans include fever, cough, sore throat, muscle aches, conjunctivitis, and, in severe cases, breathing problems and pneumonia that may be fatal.)
It was reported that the woman had recently returned from a trip to mainland China but it was unclear where she contracted the disease.
Liow said the Veterinary Department had been monitoring poultry farms regularly to ensure that all kept birds were healthy and free of the H5N1 virus.
"So far, all of the results have been negative," he said, adding that Malaysia has not been importing any chickens from Hong Kong.
Liow also called on the public to report any strange poultry deaths that may be caused by the avian flu virus.
It was reported that Malaysia has since experienced three epidemic waves of H5N1 outbreaks in 2004, 2006 and 2007, with no human fatalities recorded.
Updated: 08:44PM Thu, 18 Nov 2010
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