KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia was on September 10 declared free from avian influenza or bird flu after the last attack in Kampung Paya Jaras Hilir, Sungai Buloh, Selangor in June.
Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said surveillance and laboratory tests conducted in the last three months had fulfilled the conditions set by the Office International des Epizooties (OIE) or World Organisation for Animal Health, and showed that the country was now free of the H5N1 virus.
Prompt action by the Veterinary Services Department to stamp out the bird flu outbreak according to the protocol had been affective, leading the OIE to give the green light for Malaysia to be declared free from the disease.
The Malaysian government is taking preventive measures against bird flu, which was still happening in some neighbouring countries.
The measures include prohibiting the import of chickens, ducks and other birds and related raw products from the affected countries, intensifying checks at the border checkpoints and continued monitoring throughout the country.
Bird flu outbreaks had a big impact not just on the poultry industry but on the tourism industry too as tourists tend to stay away from countries affected by this disease.
