Malaysia will begin testing migratory birds for avian flu and maintain a ban on Chinese poultry after the H5N1 virus killed an unknown number of birds in China, an animal health official said today.

"We are on full alert. We will take some samples from migratory birds at all the bird parks in the country," Veterinary Services Department director-general Hawari Hussein told AFP .

He also said that a ban on live poultry, chicken meat and meat products from China which was imposed at the end of 2003 would remain in place until further notice.

Beijing ordered the immediate vaccination of three million birds, among other emergency measures, to stop the spread of bird flu after the deaths of the migratory birds, its state media said yesterday.

Hawari is scheduled to travel to Beijing today where he will seek more information about the latest bird flu outbreak from his Chinese counterparts.

Poultry farms kept informed

He said all Malaysian poultry farms would be kept informed of developments in China so they could better protect themselves against the deadly virus and inform authorities of any unusual bird deaths.

"All these measures were already in place but we just want to remind our people to be extra vigilant," he said.

Malaysia declared itself free of bird flu in January this year after its first case of the H5N1 strain of avian influenza was detected in northern Kelantan state in August.

It spread quickly despite the efforts of veterinary and health authorities, prompting the government to impose a quarantine on the state.

The H5N1 strain of bird flu has been discovered in eight countries since late 2003 and has claimed the lives of at least 53 people, including 37 Vietnamese, 12 Thais and four Cambodians.

World health officials warned last week of major doubts about their ability to detect and tackle a more virulent strain of the influenza virus before it spreads globally causing millions of deaths.