The government has suspended hunting at sea and is rounding up all wild ducks in new measures aimed at keeping away the deadly H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus.

In a further move, cars arriving from Sicily on the catamaran will be disinfected, after wild swans on the island just 60 miles to the north tested positive for bird flu on Saturday.

The three precautionary measures were announced at a press conference yesterday by Rural Affairs Minister George Pullicino, who stressed that Malta is free of bird flu. He urged the public not to panic, emphasising the difference between bird flu and a human pandemic.

As yet, there is no evidence of the disease passing from human to human. But the international concern is that at some stage the virus will mutate and that's when a possible pandemic could break out. The human victims who have died so far, mainly in Asia, appear to have been in close contact with infected birds.

Dr Pullicino, flanked by Parliamentary Secretary Francis Agius and Veterinary Division head Mireille Vella, said that the latest measures had been relayed to the European Commission.

With regards to hunting at sea, the government felt that since the season is open until the end of this month, it would be wise to suspend it temporarily. The move has been endorsed by the Federation for Hunting and Conservation.

Meanwhile, the wild ducks roaming in public places and shore inlets - about 200 in all - will be rounded up and kept in an enclosed place indefinitely to ensure they will not become infected by any other migrating birds.

Asked if feral pigeons will be rounded up, Mr Pullicino said this was not the plan for the time being. He explained that pigeons were actually a good gauge to establish whether the bird flu had hit the island because contrary to ducks, pigeons had a much shorter incubation period - 24 hours to three days, as opposed to ducks, which were more resistant.

Many feared that as the bird flu was already on Malta's doorstep, it would only be a matter of time before it reached our shores. Was this the case?

"If we had an absolute guarantee that Malta would not be affected, we wouldn't be taking these measures. We are taking all the precautionary measures to protect our poultry industry and I can ascertain that Malta's chicken and eggs are safe to eat," he said.

Malta's poultry industry met extremely high international standards and every product, including eggs, can be traced to their origin. Eat local produce, was their advice.

However, people should neither be concerned about eating poultry imported from Italy since no farm there has been infected. Dr Agius said chicken should be cooked at a temperature of 70 degrees Celsius, because this kills off any virus, including the bird flu virus.

"Our challenge remains to protect our poultry industry from bird flu - so far Malta is free from this virus," he reiterated.

Mr Pullicino appealed for discretion in the light of numerous phone calls that flooded the Freephone number yesterday following reports that the bird flu had reached Sicily.

The staff of the Veterinary Division was working round the clock to check every report that came in and was monitoring the shore in a helicopter to check for dead birds.

Asked to comment about the panic that ensued after people spotted 14 dead chickens close to a farm in Zebbug, Mr Pullicino said it was established that the farmer had killed them because they could no longer lay eggs.

"The Veterinary Division carried out its investigations. This was not a case of bird flu. The farmer disposed of the chickens in a very irresponsible way that has caused unnecessary alarm and the police are investigating," he said.

"We are monitoring the situation and will keep the public informed on any development."

Some essential facts:

¤ Experts say avian flu is not a food-borne virus, so eating chicken is safe. The World Health Organisation recommends that to be absolutely safe all meat should be cooked at a temperature of at least 70 degrees Celsius. Eggs should also be thoroughly cooked.

¤ Like humans and other species, birds are susceptible to flu. There are 15 types of bird, or avian, flu with the most contagious strains being H5 and H7.

¤ Migratory wildfowl, notably wild ducks, are natural carriers of the viruses but are unlikely to actually develop an infection. The risk is that they pass it on to domestic birds, which are much more susceptible to the virus.

¤ Humans catch the disease through close contact with live infected birds. Birds excrete the virus in their faeces, which once dry become pulverised, and the resulting particles are inhaled.

¤ Since it is carried by birds, it is hard to prevent bird flu from spreading, but this does not means it will be passed on to domestic flocks. Proper poultry controls should prevent this from happening and the European Commission is monitoring the situation closely in member states.

¤ For questions on bird flu call the freephone number 8007 2211 during office hours, or the 24-hour line, 7903 3044, in case of suspect birds.