Strict watch on villages

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: A safety ring has been thrown around a 10km radius of the bird flu-hit villages in Setapak here to contain the deadly H5N1 virus as culling of chickens, ducks and other birds continued till the wee hours today.
At press time, there was no report of any resident within a 300m radius of the Jalan Genting Klang area, where 40 kampung chickens were found dead with the strain, being infected by the deadly virus.
Deputy Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister Datuk Mah Siew Keong said the 10km surveillance ring was to ensure that the virus did not spread beyond the affected villages.
Between 11pm on Monday and 5am yesterday, the Veterinary Services Department had culled 495 chickens and ducks within a 1km radius of the affected four villages – Kg Belakang JPJ, Kg Wira Jaya, Kg Pasir Wardieburn and Kg Danau Kota.
As a precautionary measure, the department also took fluid samples from 400 birds within and outside the area where the N5H1 virus was discovered.
“We are carrying out a 24-hour surveillance within a 1km radius of the villages where the birds were found dead with the H5N1 virus,” said deputy secretary-general of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Ministry Sukandar Abdul Latif.
“There are no new deaths of chickens, ducks or birds at the villages, and we are monitoring the birds at the National Zoo.”
The surveillance is expected to continue for the next 21 days – the time needed to determine if an area is free of the virus.
An operations centre, headed by Dr Abu Hasan Mohd Ali, had been set up, along with a hotline for the public to report bird deaths.
Villagers at the affected areas continued with their day-to-day business.
Health Ministry disease control division director Dr Ramlee Rahmat said the team conducting the house to house health checks would know by today how many people, if any, had been infected by the virus.