A teenager in Terengganu and a 31-year-old man in Selangor were warded yesterday for showing bird flu-like symptoms.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said the 16-year-old youth was now being treated at the Kuala Terengganu Hospital after he had fever and coughing.

"The teenager is believed to have been exposed to the reared chickens and ducks which had died in Seberang Takir, Kuala Terengganu," he said in a statement issued here today on the current status of monitoring of avian influenza.

He said specimens for laboratory examination for the bird flu virus (H5N1) had been sent to the research institute here.

He added that the Terengganu Veterinary Services Department was also checking on reared fowls and had taken specimens for tests at the Veterinary Research Institute in Ipoh. The results would be known in a day.
Meanwhile, the 31-year-old man who works at the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre had been referred to the Sungai Buloh Hospital after he was down with fever, coughing and sore throat.

The man lives in the Subang Suria apartment, which is within a 300-metre radius from where an outbreak of avian flu occurred among the reared fowls in Kampung Paya Jaras Hilir, Sungai Buloh, near here.

However, he was reported to be in stable condition, said Dr Chua.

He said five of the seven cases being isolated for treatment at the Sungai Buloh Hospital, had been discharged while the other two were transferred to the normal ward as they were suspected of having dengue fever.

One more patient at the Melaka Hospital and another at the Alor Star Hospital were also allowed to return home after being tested negative for the bird flu virus.

Dr Chua said detection of cases was no longer actively carried out in Selangor as all households within the 300-metre radius from the outbreak area had been checked and interviewed.

He said daily monitoring and inspection were now focused on 30 villagers in Kampung Paya Jaras Hilir and all of them were found to be free of the virus. The activity would go on for a week.