Malaysia has suspended its small amount of US beef imports after the United States reported its first suspected case of mad cow disease, a top official said today.

"We have suspended the import with immediate effect since it is a health risk to humans and other cows. It is a precautionary measure," Hawari Hussein, director general of the Veterinary Services Department, told AFP .

Hawari said the move was not expected to create a shortage of beef in the market since US imports made up just 0.3 percent of total imports.

Australia is a major source of Malaysia's beef imports, he said.

"The temporary ban is a precautionary measure to avoid public panic," Hawari added.

Malaysia's decision comes after US Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman said yesterday that a cow from Washington state had tested positive for mad cow disease.

McDonald's reassures public

Beef contaminated with mad cow disease consumed by humans can cause a variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which has claimed more than 140 lives in Europe.

In attempt to reassure the public, burger outlet McDonald's Malaysia said the chain did not use any beef from the United States.

"Our beef patties manufacturer, MacFood Services (M) Sdb Bhd, imports all their beef blocks from Australia," managing director Mohamed Shah Abdul Kadir said in a statement.

Asked if the mad cow disease fears would hit McDonald's business in Malaysia, a spokesman said: "Based on the previous period when the world was hit by fears over the disease, we were not affected at all because we are not using beef imports from the affected areas."

"We are not worried this time and we are pretty much confident that the business will not be affected," he told AFP on condition of anonymity. - AFP