Malaysia on bird flu alert, poultry shares down
(Reuters)
Updated: 2005-09-20 13:46

Malaysia was on heightened bird flu watch on Tuesday as Southeast Asian neighbours Vietnam and Indonesia struggled to fight the virus, and the concerns knocked local poultry firm shares down as much as 4 percent.

Malaysia has not had any human infections of avian influenza, despite culling thousands of birds a year ago, after the death of two infected chickens near its border with Thailand.

But new human cases in Indonesia this week, along with Vietnam's near-two-year struggle against the disease, are prompting Malaysian authorities to look more closely at the possibility the virus could recur, a senior official said.

"We're carrying out checks on all poultry farms near our borders to ensure nothing slips through," Hawari Hussein, chief of the veterinary services department, the top government agency in charge of preventing bird flu, told Reuters.

Farms near migratory bird sanctuaries were under tight scrutiny, while tougher checks would be imposed on birds imported as pets, Hawari said.

Shares of poultry and egg producers such as QL Resources, Leong Hup Holdings and Comsa Farms fell between 0.7 and 3.8 percent in morning trade as the market reacted to the possibility of the virus returning.

Malaysia's 25 million people are among the world's largest consumers of chicken, eating about 30 kg (68 lb) each a year.

Indonesian authorities said on Monday two children were in hospital for suspected bird flu. The virus has so far killed four people there.

In Vietnam, 44 people have died from bird flu, 23 of them since last December.