Bird flu deaths in Medan raise fresh fears

NST: KUALA LUMPUR: Six avian flu deaths in Medan, a mere 157km across the Straits of Malacca, are sending chills up the spine of veterinary and health officials here.
Following a request by the Veterinary Services Department, the Customs and Immigration departments are looking out for the possibility of birds being smuggled to Malacca on barter and passenger boats.
Checks have been stepped up in Malacca and Port Klang.
Veterinary Services Department acting director-general Datuk Dr Mustapa Abdul Jalil said the department had been informed by its counterparts in Indonesia that the situation in Medan was serious.
"We have also been told that the source of the deaths were chickens," he told the New Straits Times.
Dr Mustapa urged Malay- sians and Indonesians to abide by directives on the import and export of birds and their products from all avian flu-affected countries.
Under the Customs Act 1967, smugglers can be fined 10 times the amount of the sei- zure or jailed three years for the first offence. Subsequent offences carry a penalty of 20 times the amount or five years’ jail.
Dr Mustapa also urged farmers to be alert and to report unusual bird deaths to the nearest Veterinary Services Department.
An AFP report yesterday quoted Nyoman Kandun, director of the Indonesian health ministry communicable disease control centre, as saying that an epidemiological investigation had been launched into the deaths.
Five died some weeks ago with the sixth death, that of the father of one of the other victims, occurring yesterday.
He said experts feared this might be Indonesia’s first few cases of human-to-human transmission of the virus.
"We cannot confirm that (human-to-human transmission) has occurred but we cannot rule it out," said Kandun.
He said Indonesian officials were being assisted by the World Health Organisation, and the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. Indonesia’s bird flu toll now stands at 32.
It has witnessed more bird flu deaths than any other country this year with the world’s second highest number of fatalities since 2003.
Meanwhile, Health Ministry Disease Control Division acting director Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar said his staff were working closely with the Veterinary Services Department on the matter.
"All doctors have also been directed to alert the ministry if they come across patients, especially foreigners and Malaysians who arrived from avian flu-affected countries, seeking treatment for bird flu symptoms."
He said clinical and ground surveillance had started, aside from checks on human traffic between the two nations and other avian flu-affected countries.