The government has a contingency plan to fight bird flu and this includes action to deal with a hypothetical epidemic.

According to Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, the contingency plan, to be implemented by the ministry, was ready to take off.

"The Cabinet was satisfied with the various aspects of the plan, such as the workforce to be deployed," he said in a Bernama report.

Muhyiddin said the plan included the type of action to be taken if the disease spread to a wide area and the steps to be taken in the event of an epidemic, including the destruction of the infected fowls.

An operation room and an action committee at the ministry and state levels and the financial commitment were also proposed in the plan, he added.

Diagnosis and tests

Several laboratories such the Animal Research Institute in Ipoh and the veterinary laboratories at Bukit Tengah would carry out diagnosis and tests.

Muhyiddin said if the disease struck, the affected areas would be cordoned off to facilitate efforts to fight the disease.

He also said the ministry would not issue any import permits for animals or birds and would step up cooperation with the relevant agencies, especially at the entry points into the country.

"We will also step up cooperation with neighbouring countries to face the problem," he added.