The government has urged tourists to avoid one of the disputed Spratly islands after five navy sailors were hospitalised with suspected bird flu, a report said today.

The sailors , who have since recovered, fell ill after visiting Pulau Layang-Layang where naval personnel noticed that sparrows were dying, a health ministry spokesperson said.

"Before such a confirmation by the health ministry and the department of wildlife and national parks, it is better that tourists and divers stay away from the island at least for the meantime," deputy defence minister Zainal Abidin Zin was quoted as saying by The Star newspaper.

Zainal urged tour operators to take holidaymakers to other islands off Borneo island.

The fear is that the birds had migrated from neighbouring countries hit by the bird flu virus, which the World Health Organisation fears could mutate into a highly contagious form that triggers a global human flu pandemic.

The deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu has killed 29 people in Vietnam and Thailand this year with recent outbreaks in Thailand and northeastern Malaysia.

Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam claim sovereignty over all or part of the Spratly Islands, which straddle shipping lanes and fishing grounds in the South China Sea and are believed to contain vast oil and gas reserves. There is no restriction on the movement of people on most of the islands.