Almost 80 per cent of birds in areas suspected of H5N1 avian flu around Kampung Pulau Tebu in Tunjong here have been culled today.

Kelantan Agriculture, Agro-based Industry and Bio-technology Committee chairman Datuk Che Abdullah Mat Nawi said the culling exercise was being conducted with cooperation from various government departments via a special committee which was formed since the bird flu cases was detected on Monday.

"We believe the culling of birds will be completed tomorrow at all areas within one kilometre radius from the location (Kampung Pulau Tebu) where the outbreak was detected," he said when contacted here today.

Che Abdullah hoped the residents in the areas would continue to cooperate with the authorities to ensure the culling exercise would be carried out smoothly and that Kelantan would be freed from the outbreak immediately.

He also said members of the public should not panic or worry about buying poultry at local markets as this was an isolated case and no chicken farms were tested positive for H5N1.

"Only several free-range chickens in three locations were tested positive for H5N1...There have been no new cases so far," he said.

However, Che Abdullah said the authorities were now imposing stringent security control in the areas to prevent the birds and chickens from being transferred out to other locations to ensure that the efforts in eradicating H5N1 would succeed.

He said control measures had been implemented around a 10-km radius from the outbreak location and approximately 200 birds had been culled so far.

Kelantan would be declared free from H5N1 if no new locations were detected within 21 days from the first day of the outbreak, said Che Abdullah. -- BERNAMA