KOTA KINABALU: The bird flu outbreak in Tuaran is expected to be contained within a month, as related authorities aggressively continue culling and surveillance operations there.
Sabah Veterinary Services Department deputy director Dr Peter Lee confirmed one more village tested positive namely Kampung Loputung, which is within the five kilometre radius of surveillance area from ground zero Kampung Kauluan.
“The minister (State Agriculture and Food Industries Minister Junz Wong) announced it would take about two months (to ensure the district is outbreak-free). We hope it will be achieved one month from now,” he said when contacted by NSTP.
On Aug 3, the state government announced declared Tuaran as Avian Influenza outbreak area as samples from a chicken farm at Kampung Kauluan showed positive results.
It activated culling operations for all poultry within one kilometre radius, including another chicken farm as well as those belonging to villagers. The surveillance area meanwhile covered five kilometre radius to ensure the outbreak –which only affected birds and no human transmission recorded so far– was contained.
Based on previous figures, 29,990 chicken were culled from the two farms while 1,150 poultry including ducks, geese and birds besides chicken owned by villagers from five villages were culled.
On Monday, Wong revealed that one village within the five kilometre radius, Kampung Telibong, tested positive last week and culling operation was immediately mounted. At the time, they were still awaiting results of samples from Kampung Loputung.
“Now one more village tested positive namely Kampung Loputung, and culling within the one km radius is almost done.
“Hopefully there will be no more new cases,” Lee said, adding he was, however, unable to provide the latest figures of how many poultry owned by villagers had been culled.
Wong previously has also assured that affected villagers will be compensated by the state government, where the recording of data on villagers and numbers of poultry culled are ongoing.