Malaysia is on high alert for a possible outbreak of bird flu following fresh reports of the deadly virus around the region, said a senior veterinary department official.

"Farmers are now fully aware and on high alert to the possibility of a recurrence.... Both the department and the industry are on high alert," Kamarudin Mohammed Isa, chief of the Epidemiology and Veterinary Science Department, told AFP .

Malaysia suffered outbreaks of avian influenza among poultry in early 2006, but there were no human cases and the nation declared itself free of the disease last June.

But in January, Agriculture Minister Muhyiddin Yassin issued a warning after outbreaks reemerged in the region. He announced preventive measures including a ban on poultry imports from countries affected by bird flu.

At least 64 people have died in neighbouring Indonesia, and on Sunday a woman believed to have contracted the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus died in Laos.

Outbreak in Southeast Asia

Thai livestock officials last month confirmed the country's third outbreak of bird flu this year, and last week authorities in Burma reported an outbreak among birds there.

Kamarudin said Malaysia's borders with Indonesia and Thailand were of particular concern.

"You can classify these areas as high risk for us in our surveillance. These are areas in which we are concerned and which we are monitoring vigilantly," he said.

Kamarudin was chairing the start of a two-week training programme on diagnosing the bird flu virus in Southeast Asia. The participants are from Cambodia, China, Laos, Mongolia, Burma, the Philippines and Vietnam.

The H5N1 virus has killed around 167 people across the world since late 2003 through contact with infected birds.