The government today declared that a scare over the country's first possible case of bird flu was a false alarm.

Samples from a bird shop in Kelantan near the Thai border had tested negative after the owner had been admitted to hospital with a fever and a cough, a top veterinary official said.

"We took samples of birds from the shop from where the patient came. There was no indication of H5N1 strain of avian influenza after we did laboratory tests," veterinary services director-general Hawari Hussein told reporters.

Hawari said the seal on the shop located in Machang, north of Kelantan's capital Kota Bharu, would be lifted, adding that there was no reason to cull the birds.

High alert

Health Ministry Communicable Disease Control Director Ramlee Rahmat said earlier that initial tests had revealed that the shop owner was free of the disease.

Across Asia the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of bird flu has killed 18 people who were infected by contact with birds and has led to the culling of millions of birds.

Hawari said while Malaysia was free of the flu, veterinary and other enforcement agencies were on high alert.

"We are conducting regular checks on chicken farms and on ponds where migratory birds feed," he said.

Deputy Agriculture Minister Mohamad Shariff last month admitted that the threat of an outbreak in Malaysia was "very high" as neighbouring Thailand and Indonesia had been affected.

Malaysia has banned the import of chicken products from all affected countries and stepped up security at the northern Malaysia-Thailand border to prevent the smuggling of chickens. - AFP