SECTION_NAME:MINISTERIAL STATEMENT

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AVIAN INFLUENZA:

(Statement by the Minister for National Development) Mr Mah Bow Tan: Mr Speaker, Sir, Avian Flu is a viral disease infecting poultry. The current outbreak of Avian Influenza caused by the influenza A H5N1 sub-type, which is highly contagious in poultry, has so far affected 10 Asian countries, excluding Malaysia and Singapore. It has been reported that 17 people who had close contact with infected chickens have died from the disease. More than 50 million chickens have been culled. I would like to brief the House on what steps the Government has taken to prevent the disease spreading to Singapore and, if it does, to eradicate it.

Sir, Singapore is free of Avian Influenza. All our tests on local farms, imported chickens, migratory and local birds at Sungei Buloh and the Bird Park have consistently yielded negative results. Common birds like crows, pigeons and mynahs are not known to spread the disease. However, we are doing more tests on them to be doubly safe.

While we cannot be complacent, there are some significant factors in our favour. Firstly, we stopped slaughtering live poultry in wet markets 12 years ago. This means that the public generally does not come into contact with live chickens.

Secondly, we only have five chicken farms and two quail farms with a population of 2.1 million birds. These are all modern commercial farms with proper protection against outside sources of infection.

Thirdly, Avian Influenza remains a disease that affects only poultry. In rare

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cases, people who come into close contact with infected chickens without adequate protection may be infected. There is until now no evidence of human-to-human transmission. WHO and the Ministry of Health have assessed that even if human-to-human transmission of Avian Flu is possible, such transmission is limited and inefficient.

Precautionary measures

Let me now inform the House of the precautions that the Government has taken to keep Avian Influenza out of Singapore. We have stepped up the inspection and tests on imported chickens and poultry products to ensure that they are safe. We immediately suspended the import of live birds and poultry products from all countries affected by Avian Influenza. We have tightened the biosecurity of our farms and stepped up disease surveillance of migratory birds.

We are removing or have removed the free-ranging chickens from Pulau Ubin's backyard farms, which lack the protective measures necessary to keep out Avian Influenza. The poultry slaughter houses have expressed interest in buying the entire stock of poultry. I believe that since last night they have already reached an agreement to do so. Nevertheless, the farms and the residents on Pulau Ubin will be allowed to keep a few poultry in cages as pets.

At the same time, we have introduced measures to protect the workers in the poultry industry, ie, those who are working in the farms as well as in the slaughter houses. So, we require everyone working with live poultry in the farms and at the abattoirs to wear protective gear, such as masks, to follow strict hygiene practices and to undergo daily temperature checks. Workers are being vaccinated against human influenza. This will prevent people who are down with human flu from also becoming

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infected with bird flu, therefore, avoiding the risk of genetic mixing of the Avian flu and human flu viruses to form a new virus strain which may be transmissible between humans.

State of preparedness

Sir, while we are confident that our measures will keep the disease out, we cannot be complacent. In addition to MND and AVA, other Government agencies are on high alert and monitoring the situation closely. In case Avian Influenza slips through our tight defences, we will act swiftly to contain and eradicate the disease. A Ministerial Committee for Avian Influenza, comprising Ministers from relevant Ministries and supported by an Executive Group, has been set up to oversee our preparations and to decide on the contingency measures necessary if the disease appears in Singapore.

Culling plans

If Avian Influenza is detected in imported poultry in the abattoirs, import will cease immediately and all birds imported on that day will be slaughtered and safely disposed of. Poultry from earlier consignments in the day will be recalled.

The seven local farms that I mentioned earlier are all clustered in the Lim Chu Kang, Murai and Sungei Tengah areas, within close proximity of each other. If the Avian Influenza hits any one of these farms, all the 2.1 million birds in all seven farms will be culled and safely disposed of.

We will start the culling as soon as clinical signs of the Avian Influenza appear and we have supporting post-mortem findings and laboratory tests of Type A Influenza. We will not wait for

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laboratory confirmation that it is the H5N1 strain, which will take another five to seven days. All the farms will be "sealed up" during the culling. No poultry and eggs will be allowed in or out, and strict controls will be imposed over human and vehicular movements. The eggs produced during this period will be destroyed.

Such quick and comprehensive action is necessary to eradicate the disease, safeguard public health, and maintain the confidence of our people as well as visitors.

The Government will make ex-gratia payments to the owners of the farms for the live poultry that are culled.

Coordinated Government response

The Ministry of Health and Government agencies, such as the Singapore Police Force, the Singapore Civil Defence Force and the National Environment Agency, are all ready to assist the AVA in the culling operations.

Food safety and supply

I would now like to talk about food safety and supply. I wish to assure the House that poultry and poultry products in Singapore are safe to eat. We have a stringent accreditation and surveillance regime to ensure that the food imported into Singapore is safe. As the virus is destroyed by heat, properly-cooked poultry and eggs, and canned and processed poultry products are safe to eat.

With regard to poultry supply and prices, as the Avian Influenza hits more areas in Asia, sources of poultry supply will be affected and we expect prices to go up temporarily. Fortunately, we do not require much of the world's supply, so I do not foresee any major problems with getting enough poultry for our needs. Frozen poultry is a good substitute for

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freshly slaughtered poultry, and we have large supply sources from non-affected countries like Brazil and the USA.

For eggs, Malaysia is our main supplier, providing 70% of our needs. In the event that these egg imports have to be suspended, we can turn to other accredited countries, such as Australia and New Zealand. However, eggs from these countries are more expensive. So, consumers may decide to switch to substitutes, such as liquid or powdered eggs, which are commonly used by the food manufacturers and hotels.

Economic impact

Let me turn to the economic impact. The impact of an Avian Influenza outbreak on Singapore's economy should be minimal if the fallout from the disease is contained within the poultry industry. According to the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), the Avian Influenza will not have the same effect on the tourism industry as the SARS crisis did last year. This is because, unlike SARS, the virus is not transmitted from one human being to another. It is mainly transmitted through close contact with infected chickens. The World Health Organisation has not issued travel advisories on Avian Influenza. A 10-country meeting of ministers and health experts in Bangkok on 28th January also concluded that travel advisories are not necessary.

So far, there has been no significant adverse impact on our tourist arrivals. Nevertheless, if the situation worsens in the coming weeks, the psychological impact could dampen regional tourism, including Singapore's. The worst-case scenario would be that of a viral mutation that allows human-to-human transmission. The economy, particularly the travel and tourism-related sectors, such as airlines, hotels and retailers, would be badly affected in such circumstances. As of

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now, this remains very unlikely.

Let me conclude by saying that Avian Influenza is still primarily a disease affecting poultry. It does not pose a public health threat. We have implemented measures to keep it out. But we are vigilant and on high alert. We have worked out contingency plans and are ready to take decisive action should Avian Influenza appear in Singapore. Poultry and eggs in Singapore are safe to eat. I advise the public to stay calm but to remain alert. The Government will continue to keep the public informed of developments, in an open and transparent manner.

Dr Amy Khor Lean Suan: Sir, I would like to ask the Minister three supplementary questions. Firstly, what is the probability of human-to-human transmission and how prepared are the hospitals and our public healthcare system if this should happen? Secondly, how long will it take for the egg farms to restart operations and production, if they were to be shut down, and what would be the impact on supply and demand, and would this shutdown period be taken into account when determining ex-gratia compensation for the farmers? Finally, can the Minister update us on the situation in Pulau Ubin, as I have heard that some farmers are unhappy over the need to get rid of their ducks and chickens? Would they be allowed to restart operations in future?

Mr Mah Bow Tan: First of all, on the question of human-to-human transmission, I believe the medical experts in WHO and the scientists have assessed that while there is a theoretical possibility of such transmission happening, which in turn depends on the mutation of the virus, the assessment at this stage is that such a possibility is very low. They are not able to put a number to it but, based on what they know at this point in time, such a possibility is low. Nevertheless,

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because the implication of something like this happening is very significant, all agencies involved - WHO, OIE, FAO - plus the various countries, are very concerned about this. Therefore, we must take action to ensure that such a possibility remains a remote one. And this is the reason why we are vaccinating all the workers who are involved in the poultry farms and abattoirs and, if ever there is a need for culling, they would also be vaccinated. This is to prevent any possible cross-genetic mutation of the virus.

As for the preparedness of the hospitals, MOH has already sent out advisories to all medical personnel, all doctors, including the Chinese sinsehs , to be on the alert for any possible evidence of such infections in humans. The hospitals have also been placed on alert. All the precautionary measures that we put in place for SARS, eg, temperature checking of infected people coming in, are also still in place. So, if ever there is a need for us to activate, we can do so.

In so far as restarting production is concerned, frankly, at this point in time, our priority is to make sure that the Avian Influenza virus does not hit Singapore, and all our attention is focused on this aspect of it. We have not really thought about the restarting of egg production right now. But in a theoretical situation, if a farm were to be infected, the first thing after we have culled is to make sure that the farm is thoroughly disinfected. It would also take some time for us to make sure that the viral load in the farms is totally eliminated. This can take anything from three months to six months. So, it is not easy for the farms to restart production. And this is why I believe it is important for us to make sure that our farms do not get infected. If they do get infected and if they have to take a long time to restart, then obviously the farmers

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would have to take an economic decision whether they wish to restart the farm. But this is something that they would have to decide for themselves.

The Member also asked about the situation in Pulau Ubin. The reason why AVA went into Pulau Ubin was because all the information that they had, suggested that the threat usually would come from the backyard farms, ie, those that are not biosecured. All the farms that are in Singapore have been required to put in place extensive biosecurity measures, eg, bird proofing, putting nets to make sure that the migratory birds do not come into contact with their chickens, disinfection, quarantine facilities, etc. But it is extremely difficult and expensive for the backyard farmers to put in place similar measures. And this is the reason why AVA decided that they would persuade the farmers, buy the chickens from them in order to make sure that this does not become a backyard entry, as it were, for the bird flu. We wanted to make sure that that is not the weak link in the chain

in making sure that Singapore remains free from Avian flu.

I am happy to inform the House that the Poultry Association and members of the public have agreed to purchase most, if not, all the poultry from the farmers. As of last night, I believe that they have come to an agreement. The farmers are now quite satisfied with the outcome. Initially, they were a little bit concerned but, thereafter, when they realised, with explanation, what this is all about, they have, by and large, given AVA their cooperation.

Dr Teo Ho Pin (Holland-Bukit Panjang): Sir, I have three questions for the Minister. So far, those who have died from Avian flu are mainly children. May I ask the Minister why are children more susceptible to this disease and what is his advice for children in Singapore? The second question is: is the Ministry

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prepared to provide resources to the grassroots organisations or CDCs and work out an emergency plan to cope with any disease outbreak? Third, can the Ministry consider broadcasting the key messages of the Ministerial Statement in the various media in four languages so that we can have a maximum outreach, in terms of conveying the messages to the public?

Mr Mah Bow Tan: Dr Teo asked why children are more susceptible. I am not a doctor but I dare say that children are by nature more susceptible. Generally, they are weaker and they normally would be susceptible to any virus or bacteria that affects humans or any pathogens for that matter.

My advice for children is the same advice for all, whether children or adults - do not get into close contact with chickens, avoid them at this point in time. As a result of that, all the farms have been told not to accept any visitors. The bird park has stopped its bird shows which involve close contact between visitors and their birds. So have the schools, the zoo and Sentosa, etc. While it is acceptable, and AVA has advised that it is acceptable, for families to keep chickens as pets, please keep them caged so that they do not come into contact with migratory birds and also make sure that they themselves limit the interaction or contact with the chickens. This is an advice I will give to everybody, and not just children, although children are, by nature, more susceptible to disease.

On whether we will work with the CDCs on emergency plans, yes, that is the intention. In particular, we will be briefing the grassroots leaders and the advisers to the constituencies that would be affected directly if Avian flu were to hit us. By that, I mean those constituencies where the farms and slaughter houses are located. We will certainly need the cooperation of the

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grassroots leaders and the farmers themselves to make sure that the culling process is carried out smoothly and effectively. Yes, we will be very happy to work with them.

Finally, as to broadcasting of the key messages in the various media, we will be briefing the grassroots leaders of all the constituencies. I will be meeting them sometime next week to pass these key messages to them, namely, that we do not have the bird flu virus and we intend to keep it that way. If it does come, we have measures in place to control and eradicate it. In the meantime, the Government will be open and transparent in the way it deals with this, as it did with SARS, because we definitely believe that it is the most effective way of tackling this. Yes, those key messages will be put across in as many different ways as possible, and I will certainly ask the media to help us to pass these messages across to as many people as possible.

Mdm Ho Geok Choo: Sir, in view of the need to eat properly cooked food, will the Ministry be implementing measures, such as sending out food inspectors to ensure that the chicken rice chicken are well-cooked and not bloody as they should be? Or will they be issuing advisory to these hawkers? Another question is whether the Minister will be issuing advisory on avoidance of half-boiled eggs sold at popular joints, like Ya Kun and Kopitiam ?

The third question is with reference to children staying away from chickens which are normally kept as pets. Will the Ministry also be issuing advisory to schools to discourage them from keeping chickens as part of their science education programme?

Mr Mah Bow Tan: Could I inform the Member that as far as the keeping of chickens in schools is concerned, yes, we know, for a fact, that many schools keep chickens as part of their nature study

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classes. Our advice to the schools is (a) keep the chickens in cages; and (b) avoid or minimise contact between the chickens and the children. Last week, MOE has sent out an advisory to all the schools and kindergartens to remind the teachers and supervisors that they should avoid such close contact, and to also keep the chickens in cages. That has already been done.

As far as cooked food is concerned, let me reiterate that this virus is not a food-borne virus. It transmits and infects through close contact with faecal material or mucus from infected poultry. So there is really no danger from eating well-cooked and well-prepared food. This is the first point that we should remember. Eating half-cooked chicken and half-boiled eggs has always carried a certain risk, because if we do not fully cook something, it automatically carries a certain risk. Such risks include things like salmonella and all the other bad bacteria that are crawling around. The fact that we do not have such a problem in Singapore is because AVA does such a good job in making sure that the foods that come in in the first place - the eggs, poultry, and so on - do come from accredited sources. They are properly farmed and transported in cold chains, etc. When they come into Singapore, there is random checking. Now, there is 100% checking. That is the assurance that we can give. Anytime we eat something that is half-cooked or raw, we are running a risk.

Mr Ang Mong Seng (Hong Kah): Sir, I would like to raise two points. First, is there any plan to temporarily close the Jurong Bird Park? How should we handle the birds and chickens in the Mandai Zoo? The second question is: is there any special symptom when a person is affected by the bird flu so that the public can pay attention to?

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Mr Mah Bow Tan: There is no need to close the Jurong Bird Park. There are two reasons. The first reason is that the bird flu virus infects mostly poultry like chickens, ducks and geese. It does not infect the other birds that are kept in the Jurong Bird Park. There is no reason for us to shut down the Jurong Bird Park or get rid of the birds there. We are nevertheless taking precautions to make sure that there is no possibility of other birds coming in and creating havoc in the Jurong Bird Park, which is a valuable asset to us. The Jurong Bird Park has taken steps to make sure that the Jurong Bird Park area is protected. Also, to minimise contact with visitors, they have also stopped all shows which involve carrying a parrot on your shoulders, etc. The expert advice is that it is not necessary to close Jurong Bird Park. Nevertheless, we are on the alert to make sure that the Jurong Bird Park is not infected.

As far as the symptoms are concerned, they are similar to the flu symptoms - fever, cough, muscle ache, lung infection, etc. It is a flu virus. It is just a different strain of the flu virus. All the symptoms, I believe, are similar to the normal flu.

Mdm Halimah Yacob: Sir, first, I would like to ask the Minister what can be done to prevent profiteering, because there are some indications that prices of eggs have increased and not necessarily because the supply itself has been unduly restricted. My second question is that there is a report that 30 birds suddenly dropped dead in Hougang yesterday, and that had caused some fears. Could the Minister please enlighten us as to whether that has anything to do with the Avian flu or nothing at all?

Mr Mah Bow Tan: I wonder which part of Hougang! Was it in the Opposition Member's constituency? Sir, as far as I know, the birds that were found to be dead in that particular part of Singapore

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was a result of some routine culling operations undertaken by the Town Council. There is really no cause for concern. There is a normal programme to keep the population of the wild birds, like crows and mynahs, down. This is part of our regular culling operations.

As far as profiteering is concerned, the most effective way for us to counter profiteering is to make sure that there are sufficient alternative sources of supply. For example, if Malaysia gets infected, we will be short of live chickens and eggs because the bulk of our supply of eggs comes from Malaysia. As far as the supply of live chickens is concerned, we have, in place, alternative supplies. There are plenty of frozen chickens available, both in stock as well as they can be ordered from overseas quite easily.

In the case of eggs, there is a slight problem because the supply will be restricted. But we never know how prices are going to move. It does not necessarily follow that if they raise prices, they will be able to benefit, because it may well be that because of this that the demand for eggs and poultry will drop. In that case, the supply and demand situation may well be a glut rather than a shortage. I would not be so concerned about profiteering because I know that there are alternative sources available, both for the chickens as well as for the eggs. In that sense, we are quite sure that although prices will go up, they will not be excessive.

Ms Irene Ng Phek Hoong: Sir, the Minister mentioned that the workers in Pulau Ubin have been vaccinated. Can I ask the Minister whether there is any evidence so far that flu vaccines or anti-virus drugs are effective against H5N1 virus? My second question is: are we working towards developing a vaccine that will be effective against this virus? My third question involves pigs. There is a

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concern that this virus mutates quite quickly and can spread to humans through pigs. Is the Ministry concerned about this?

Mr Mah Bow Tan: As at this point in time, there are no flu vaccines against that particular strain, H5N1 strain, either for birds or for humans. But the WHO is actively working on it. They are coordinating a group of laboratories to produce such a flu vaccine, specifically for H5N1. But at this point in time, such vaccines are not available. But there is an anti-viral drug that is available called Tamiflu. Tamiflu is a drug that is able to prevent as well as to treat the bird flu in humans. This is the reason why, as part of our precautionary measures, we are increasing our stock of Tamiflu, although it is a very expensive drug. It is an anti-viral drug which has been proven to be effective for H5N1.

As far as pigs are concerned, the veterinarians are always very worried about the pigs because they are a very good reservoir for viruses of all kinds. In fact, they get infected by human viruses and bird viruses. The concern really is that the pigs can actually become a melting pot, as it were, where the bird viruses and the human viruses can mix and mutate. We are monitoring the situation very carefully so far as the import of pigs is concerned. All our pigs are imported from Pulau Bulan. So AVA has kept a close watch on the situation there as well, precisely to guard against such a situation happening.

Dr Amy Khor Lean Suan: Sir, I would like to ask the Minister three questions. The first question is on vaccination of chickens. I understand from a report that they are even considering vaccinating the healthy chickens and only culling the affected chickens. Since ours are not infected, why is vaccination not considered?

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The other question relates to Pulau Ubin. Judging from the long queues that were formed yesterday at Pulau Ubin, free-range chickens remain very popular. Would the farmers be allowed to rear chickens

and ducks again when this whole episode blows over?

My third question relates to ex-gratia payment for egg farmers should their chickens be culled. How would this be determined? And as I noted earlier, consideration should be given to waive land rentals payable, property tax, etc, in order to help them restart operations in future, as the Minister has hinted that it may not be economically viable.

Mr Mah Bow Tan: Sir, as far as vaccination of chickens is concerned, yes, it is true that the WHO and the OIE, when they met in Rome just a few days ago, did issue an advisory which appears to state that we should be vaccinating the chickens instead. I have read the advisory in greater detail and discussed this with my officials in AVA. I would like to clarify this point. It is very clear that they are not talking about vaccination instead of culling. In fact, what they are saying is: "stamping out or culling is the preferred control option for an outbreak of H5NI, which is the bird flu, and it should be used for all flocks exhibiting clinical diseases. It has been highly effective in controlling outbreaks of H5NI where there is limited spread and low risk of reintroduction."

Basically, the position really is that if you can cull, you should do so, because that is still the best way of eradicating the disease. This is what Hong Kong did in 1997. They culled 1.5 million birds and, effectively, stopped the outbreak from spreading.

However, I think what they are saying now is for situations where it is not

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practical or perhaps economic cost is high for culling all chickens. Obviously, if you are talking about Indonesia or China, it is practically impossible for such a method to be effective. How can you cull all the chickens in China or all the chickens in Indonesia? It is just not practical. What I think they are trying to say is that in such a situation where you can cull the infected birds and those around them, do so. For the rest, you vaccinate. But in our case, the situation is quite different. Our farms are all located very close together. We do not have such a large population as in those countries. We are actually able to cull and use this more effective method of eradication of the disease, and this is what we prefer to do. So we will cull completely in the event of an outbreak. And if we do so, it is not just to eradicate the disease effectively, it also ensures that there is no reservoir of the disease remaining so that public health is safeguarded. Equally important, it increases or maintains the confidence of our own people and visitors to Singapore if we can do that.

Yes, you can vaccinate if you cannot cull completely. But if you can cull completely, please do so. This is how we read the FAO and WHO advice.

On the Pulau Ubin situation, yes, there were long queues. Let us put things in perspective. We are talking about maybe 700 chickens altogether in Pulau Ubin. I do not think we can take the risk of letting the disease come in via these 700 chickens and putting the two million odd birds in Singapore at risk. That is the reason why AVA went in to Pulau Ubin.

Finally, on ex-gratia payment, the principle of this is that if there is an infection and we have to cull. The chances are that all the birds will be infected and will be destroyed anyway. Ex-gratia payment allows us to move in quickly and take pre-emptive measures. So what do we do? We will pay what we

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believe to be the market rate for the layers. But beyond this point, I think it is difficult for us to completely or totally compensate the farmers on loss of business and all the other expenses involved. I accept that there will be many other expenses involved. In the same way, when we compensated the Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre, we were not able to compensate them fully for the loss of business. In fact, there was some unhappiness there. We have to explain that we are prepared to compensate on an ex-gratia basis. This is an indication that Government is willing to share part of the cost with them. But it is not our intention nor is it correct for Government to fully compensate them for all the losses that they would incur as a result of this. The best thing that we can do is to make sure that it does not come. And for that, I think we are putting in a lot of effort and a lot of money to make sure that it does not hit us.

The farmers have also been asked to cooperate and I am happy to say that they themselves realise that their livelihood is at stake and they are cooperating fully on that.

Miss Penny Low: Mr Speaker, Sir, we have often heard that migratory birds are responsible for spreading the Avian flu. How real and widespread is this phenomenon? And where is the closest incident of such an infection by migratory birds within this region? Also, how real is the risk of migratory birds bringing Avian flu to Singapore's shores? Last but not least, does the Minister see the need to further reduce the number of birds, ie, on top of the normal culling process, such as crows and mynahs in Singapore? And what plan does he have in mind?

Mr Mah Bow Tan: Sir, as far as the risk from migratory birds is concerned, yes, that is one of the possible causes of the very fast, rapid and extensive spread of the bird flu throughout Asia. They have

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been nailed as one of the prime suspects in this. It is well known that migratory birds are carriers of Avian flu viruses. Whether they carry the H5N1 or other strains of the virus needs to be checked. As far as being carriers are concerned, it is well known that they are carriers. AVA as well as NParks, in fact, many years ago started a surveillance programme to check all the birds that come to Singapore as part of their migratory flight. They stop over in Sungei Buloh. They stay for a few months and then they move on. That is a possible source of danger. But I am glad to inform the House that over the last five years, since they started the surveillance programme, there has been no evidence of such migratory birds being infected. So far, no Avian flu virus has been detected. That is good news.

The other fact which Members may wish to know is that the Avian flu virus appears to be found in certain types of birds - the migratory swans and ducks, for example - not so much the shore birds which visit us. For some reasons, the ducks, geese and swans avoid Singapore. They do not come here. So far, for the last many years, we have not seen them here. They come from Siberia and they bypass Singapore and they go to Indonesia, the Philippines and other places, and then they go down south. I am not sure why. The fact remains that they do not come here, which is another blessing in disguise. Migratory birds are being watched very carefully.

As for mynahs, crows, etc, as I indicated earlier in my reply to Mdm Halimah, such free-flying wild birds are not known to be transmitters of the Avian flu virus. Nevertheless, as I indicated in my statement, we are monitoring them. We are catching them and checking them to make sure that this is indeed so. There is an active programme to cull them, because I know that many of our residents find them a nuisance - noise, droppings, etc. So there is an active

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programme to cull them. But that has got nothing to do with the bird flu situation.

Mr Steve Chia Kiah Hong: Sir, four supplementary questions. (1) Can the Minister confirm that our poultry and abattoir workers are covered by the Workmen's Compensation Act against Avian flu, especially when they are called for duty to cull the affected chickens when it happens? (2) Will the SARS Relief Fund also be used to pay out compensation for these workers if they become infected in the process of culling these affected chickens? (3) In view of the rising incidents of animal disease transmission, is it necessary for Singapore to maintain chicken farms, especially considering the dung smell that farms emit to nearby residents after rain? (4) Will those mountain chickens that are found in the wild in Pulau Ubin and the nature reserves also be culled?

Mr Mah Bow Tan: The workers who are directly in contact with the chickens - the poultry farm workers, abattoir workers, and so on - are being protected physically through wearing of protective gear, vaccination, and so on. And I believe that they should also - I see no reason why they should not - be covered by workmen's compensation if, in the course of their duty, they do fall ill. I really do not see why they should not be covered, but, of course, I stand corrected by the Manpower Ministry.

As for the SARS Relief Fund, I think the Fund is for a very specific purpose. I do not think we should complicate matters. Let us deal with the bird flu one step at a time. As I keep emphasising, the first step is to make sure that it does not come here.

Whether we should maintain chicken farms, I think this is a decision which has

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to be taken by the farmers. We do not have a large chicken supply. We, in fact, do not have any breeders in Singapore. All our chickens for the table come from either Malaysia's live chickens or frozen chickens from Brazil mainly, and from the US. The only chickens that we have are the layers. They are the ones who produce 30% of our eggs. So the question really is whether we need to be self-sufficient in eggs. Off-hand, I would say no, because there is really no reason why we cannot get sources of supply from other countries, and there are many, many sources of supply. But having said that, I think this is a decision which we would have to discuss and consider several steps down the road. Our first priority is to make sure that our farms are biosecure and that it does not hit us. Thereafter, I think we can consider all these other issues.

As for wild chickens, it depends on how you define "wild chickens". If he is talking about pet chickens, keep them in cages. If they are found roaming around, somebody may actually catch them and eat them because people like to eat wild chickens.

Dr Lily Neo (Jalan Besar): May I ask the Minister how sure are we that the farms we import live chickens from are not affected by Avian flu? Is there a confirmation of the possible human-to-human Avian flu transmission in Vietnam involving the family cluster of 2 sisters, the brother and his wife? Are we taking enough precautions to prevent the outbreak of human Avian flu here? Could the Minister also elaborate on the contingency plan for such an eventuality?

The Minister earlier mentioned that there are now 10 countries in Asia reported to have Avian flu. May I ask him whether he will advise Singaporeans travelling to such affected areas to be protected by getting vaccinated with the available vaccines and to take Tamiflu

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tablets? The Minister also earlier said that his Ministry is stockpiling Tamiflu. No wonder there is a short supply of Tamiflu in the market. May I request the Minister to monitor and ensure that there is enough supply of Tamiflu in the market to give to Singaporeans travelling to affected areas for preventive purposes? Is it not an important consideration to ensure that we do not get imported cases of Avian flu from Singaporeans travelling abroad, and also to prevent travelling Singaporeans coming down with Avian flu?

Mr Mah Bow Tan: Dr Lily Neo's first question is about the farms, how safe they are. I think she would know that the farms that we import the live chickens from in Malaysia are all accredited farms. In other words, we do not import from any farm or every farm in Malaysia. Only those farms that are accredited by AVA are allowed to export to Singapore. The reason is that we want to be able to do those things that she is talking about. In other words, to check the farms to make sure that the farms are biosecure, to make sure that the procedures are in place, and to make sure that the farm workers are following good hygienic practices, etc.

I am able to inform her that AVA is indeed stepping up its checks on these farms. So far, it has been satisfied that all the necessary precautions are taken. In fact, AVA is working very closely with its counterparts in Malaysia, which is the Department of Veterinary Science, to monitor, to exchange information, and to check as thoroughly as possible. Do not forget that their livelihoods are at stake too. They have a big industry and I think it is in their interest, and they realise it, that they have to be extra vigilant. So they have been doing the checks. We are also doing the checks and as another level of check, when the chickens come to Singapore at the Second Link, and they all come in through one point, they are checked again. And on top of that, apart from physical checking of the symptoms,

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random checks are done, birds are taken off the trucks, sent to the laboratory, checked again. So there are various levels of checks to make sure that the chickens that we import into Singapore, that are slaughtered here, that we eat here, are free from the bird flu.

What about a travel advisory? So far, the health authority (WHO) has not seen it necessary to issue any travel advisory. The Health Ministers have met, and they have also not issued any travel advisory. So there is really no need for any country to issue a travel advisory. But commonsense precautions must be taken when you go to these countries. And there are situations, for example, they do have markets where live poultry is being sold, and you should avoid close contact with poultry. You should also, if you feel it necessary, get a flu jab, but this is again something that we are not advising everybody to do.

As for taking of Tamiflu, again this is something which I do not think should be taken unless it is necessary. It is not a vaccine. Unless you think that you are going to be placed in a position where you are going to be in contact with a farm worker or somebody who is going to be engaged in the culling operations, in that situation, yes, take the Tamiflu, and we will give them Tamiflu. But, otherwise, I do not see any necessity for doing so. The stocks that we are carrying really is meant for those people who are going to be involved in the culling operations. We want to make sure that they are all protected.

Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman (Sembawang): Mr Speaker, the Minister mentioned about the random checks or testing. Can I ask, ever since the outbreaks in other countries, how much more intense have we been in doing these random checks, and what percentage of the poultry that we import are being checked? Secondly, can these tests

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actually detect the viruses in the carrier birds, rather than just the infected birds?

Mr Mah Bow Tan: The physical inspections of birds imported from Malaysia are now being carried out every day. In every consignment, there are about 60 trucks a day carrying 120,000 birds every day. And they come in, as I said, through the second link. Our AVA inspectors are stationed there. When the lorries come in, they are directed to a certain bay away from the immigration people. They are separately checked. Birds are pulled out from there on a random basis, and random testing has been stepped up. So far, it has not shown any sign of the bird flu in the birds coming in.

Are the tests effective? Yes, of course, they are. What we are doing is to test them for H5N1. We would test them for type A first. The H5N1 virus strain needs a bit longer to identify. But once you get a type A occurrence, that would already trigger off the actions that we have mentioned earlier.

Mr Steve Chia Kiah Hong: Mr Speaker, Sir, as I understand it, workers that are vaccinated and called to cull the chickens are currently not protected by any form of financial compensation if they get infected by the Avian flu. Will the Ministry concerned look into financial protection for these workers who are called to do national duty?

Mr Mah Bow Tan: Sir, I am not aware that if they are vaccinated, they will not be covered by workmen's compensation. I would have to check that point up and revert to the Member.

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