Five people isolated in Kuala Lumpur with suspected bird flu have tested negative, a top health official said yesterday.

"All five have tested negative," Ramlee Rahmat, director of the health ministry's disease control division, told AFP .

They were admitted to hospital for observation late Friday with high temperatures and respiratory infections.

No human cases of bird flu have so far been reported in Malaysia.

Last Monday, the authorities confirmed its first outbreak among birds in more than a year after the H5N1 virus was detected in 40 free-range chickens found dead in four villages near Kuala Lumpur.

An initial group of 10 people from the affected villages who were hospitalised late Tuesday, complaining of flu symptoms and respiratory problems, have also tested negative for the virus.