Bird flu found outside Malaysian quarantine zone

"We found a few infections and we're treating it as if it is the same virus strain. We will begin culling all poultry and birds as soon as possible."

Hawari Hussein, veterinary department director general

Bird flu jumped outside a quarantine zone yesterday for the first time since it was discovered nearly a month ago in northern Malaysia, spreading to eight villages near the Thai border despite intensive efforts to eradicate it.

Veterinary officials said that the latest case, discovered 5km outside the 10km quarantine thrown around the eruption of Aug. 17, may be the beginning of a new outbreak.

"At the moment, we don't think it is related to the first one," said Hawari Hussein, director general of the veterinary department. "It may have come in separately. We are still gathering all the information."

Malaysia has struggled to bring avian influenza under control since its first appearance at a northern village where it was found in fighting cocks believed to have been smuggled in from Thailand, the country that has been hit hardest by the disease.

Until yesterday, subsequent flare-ups -- four in the last few days alone -- had all be confined to the quarantine area. Another case was found inside the zone yesterday, but for the first time, one was found outside.

Hawari said that chickens outside the zone had been discovered with the H5 flu virus, which in past cases has subsequently tested positive as the lethal H5N1 strain, which can be lethal in humans and has raised worries of a pandemic.

"We found a few infections and we're treating it as if it is the same virus strain. We will begin culling all poultry and birds as soon as possible," Hawari said.

So far, Malaysia has gassed thousands of chickens, ducks and pet birds to contain the disease, which has been discovered in nine Asian countries. A least 28 people have died from it in Thailand and Vietnam, and overall some 100 million birds have been culled.

So far, no humans in Malaysia have been infected. But authorities put two more people under hospital observation yesterday, a 26-year-old man and eight-year-old girl with symptoms including coughing, fever and runny noses after exposure to dead chickens, said senior health official Ramlee Rahmat.

Authorities were also waiting for test results of a third possible case, a 10-year-old girl who showed similar symptoms.

On Monday, veterinary authorities in Kelantan state, where all the cases are located, said that they would increase clinical checks at high-risk areas like markets, pet shops and bird sanctuaries.

Malaysian officials have been demanding stricter controls against bird smuggling along the border with Thailand and implored villagers to show good citizenship.

But weeks of culling have raised friction. The New Straits Times newspaper reported yesterday that police intervened when 50 villagers armed with sickles threatened veterinary officials who wanted to take away their fowl and peacocks.

The discovery of the flu resulted in a nationwide alert at poultry farms, but the Malaysian industry is suffering from export bans leveled by several countries, including its largest market, Singapore.