Health Minister Chua Soi Lek said today that a lethal strain of bird flu virus was restricted to a village in the northern state of Kelantan.

A top veterinary official said at the same time that culling of birds in the area had been completed.

The government announced Thursday that the H5N1 strain of avian influenza had been discovered in chickens in the village of Baru Pasir Pekan. It borders Thailand, where eight people have died of bird flu this year.

The flu has killed 19 people in Vietnam.

"I confirm the case is restricted in one small area. So far it remains isolated and the only confirm case is in the chickens," Chua told reporters.

No symptoms

He said that so far no cases of infection in humans had been detected.

The three people who have been hospitalised in an isolated ward are a 16-year-old girl, her mother and a verterinary services worker but they do not have any bird flu symptoms, he said.

"If they are okay in the next 48 hours - no fever, throat swab is negative and no X-ray changes (of their lungs) - we will discharge them," he said.

Hawari Hussein, director general of the veterinary services department told AFP that culling of birds in the village had ended.

"We have completed the culling," he said.

The department said 352 birds had been culled but officials were carrying out disinfection of the bird cages.

"Clinical tests and blood samples from birds in the 10-kilometer (six miles) radius of the village is being carried out," the department said in a statement.

Chua said chicken sold in the market was safe for consumption.

Chicken meat is the cheapest source of protein for most Malaysians.

Not hiding anything

Asked if he had it for breakfast, he said, "no" and joked, "we are all vegetarians."

Chua sought to assure Malaysians that the government would not hide any information if the outbreak spread to humans.

"We appeal to the people not to speculate. We will not hide anything from the public. If there is a confirm case (in humans) we will report," he said.

On Wednesday night, Bernama carried an "urgent note to editors" saying, "the Prime Minister's Department has directed the media not to use any story relating to the so-called bird flu in the country."

But on Thursday afternoon the agency ran a brief report saying Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's department had issued a statement denying having made such a directive. - AFP