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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.
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