Holiday meals, being fears of brid flu

Cambodia has stepped up its precautions against bird flu, amid fears the huge demand for chicken over Chinese New Year could heighten the risk of new outbreaks, according to a health official.

Health officials have been ordered to strictly enforce a ban on poultry from the country's neighbours following recent outbreaks of bird flu in Vietnam and Thailand, said Kao Phal, director of animal health at the agriculture ministry.

"We are afraid that poultry will be smuggled from neighbouring countries that have been hit by bird flu," Kao Phal told AFP.

He said an order to strengthen monitoring and to prevent transportation of poultry was issued on Monday to health officials along the borders and across the country.

Ethnic Chinese and Vietnamese in Cambodia will celebrate the Lunar New Year starting this weekend, often using chickens as religious offerings.

"There could be shady business people importing poultry from neighbouring countries, which could cause the spread of bird flu into Cambodia and affect the health of people and birds," the order said.

Only local poultry with documents guaranteeing their safety will be allowed to be transported around the country.

Cambodia last reported an outbreak of the deadly avian flu last September, but officials have warned that smuggled poultry poses a threat to the country, where six Cambodians have died of the H5N1 strain of the virus since 2003.

Tens of thousands of birds -- mostly chickens and ducks -- have been slaughtered to prevent the spread of the virus.

Cambodia has been praised by the United Nations for its rapid action against bird flu, which has helped spare it from the human and poultry deaths suffered by its neighbours.

But health officials also warn that the virus could go undetected in the countless small family farms where most of Cambodia's poultry are raised.

A massive public information campaign featuring posters and television and radio spots was launched last year in a bid to educate the largely rural public about bird flu.

Bird flu has killed more than 150 people worldwide since late 2003 and fears remain that it may become a far more highly contagious disease that could trigger a deadly, global pandemic.