The Health Ministry has sent viral experts to investigate the death of two teenage girls in Kelantan amid fears of a Japanese encephalitis outbreak.

"We've sent several experts. One went yesterday," the ministry's director-general Ismail Merican told AFP .

One 13-year-old girl died Thursday last week and another 13-year-old died on Tuesday after reportedly showing symptoms of the disease, including fever and headaches.

One woman has been confirmed with the virus, while the father and brother of one of the dead girls are in hospital with symptoms of the disease, said Bernama .

All live in Kelantan's northern Tanah Merah district.

Japanese encephalitis (JE) is transmitted by the culex mosquito to humans. The mosquito picks up the disease from feeding on domestic pigs and wild birds infected with the virus.

Blood samples

Agriculture Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said authorities were taking blood samples from farm animals and tracking down wild boars to test for the virus.

Animals carrying the virus will be quarantined and culled, he said.

"We'll inform the health department after identifying the actual cause of the JE infection after analysing the samples, although some believe wild boars are the probable cause," he was quoted as saying by Bernama .

The health ministry's director of disease control, Ramlee Rahmat, called for calm.

"Japanese encephalitis is endemic, it happens from time to time. Where there are cases, we investigate and there are control measures," he said, referring to moves to spray for mosquitoes.