Two more hospitalised over bird flu symptoms

PETALING JAYA: A teenager in Terengganu who reared poultry that have since died has been admitted to hospital for fever and cough. 

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said in a statement Sunday that the Terengganu Health Department had reported that at 2pm on Saturday, a 16-year old boy from Seberang Takir, whose chickens and ducks had died, was admitted to the Kuala Terengganu Hospital. 

He added that a specimen had been sent to the Institute for Medical Research in Kuala Lumpur to test for the avian flu virus. 

The Kuala Terengganu Veterinary Services Department had investigated the poultry and sent a sample for analysis at the Veterinary Research Institute in Ipoh and results would be known within a day. 

Dr Chua also said that a 31-year old man who worked at the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre had been referred to the Sungai Buloh Hospital and subsequently warded there. 

The man lived at the Subang Suria apartment, which is within a 300m to 400m radius of where the virus had been detected. He is reported to be in stable condition. 

The avian flu virus was detected last Tuesday in Kg Paya Jaras Hilir in Sungai Buloh. 

Dr Chua said that active surveillance was no longer being carried out as all homes within 300m of the location had been visited and interviews with residents had been completed. 

"Monitoring and observation are being focussed on the 30 residents of Kg Paya Jaras Hilir who have been put under home surveillance, and all are healthy. This activity will last for a week from the last day of culling," he said. 

He said that the nine cases in Sungai Buloh and Malacca had tested negative for the avian flu virus, adding that five cases at the Sungai Buloh hospital were allowed to go home while the remaining two had been transferred to a normal ward for suspicion of dengue fever. 

The two cases in Malacca and two siblings in Kedah were discharged.