The Macao Special Administrative Region has launched temperature testing at all check-points amid the recent bird flu scare, according to an official statement issued here Monday.

The statement from the Health Bureau (HB) said the bureau has launched the testing at the Barrier Gate linking with the Chinese mainland city of Zhuhai, Macao-Hong Kong Ferry terminal and Macao International Airport.

Those arrivals suspected of being infected by the avian flu will be sent to hospital, said the statement.

It also warned the public "to pay close attention to personal hygiene and take appropriate preventive measures against the bird flu during times of travel."

Meanwhile, the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (CMAB) has since last Wednesday suspended the import of live poultry from the mainland city of Shenzhen, where a suspected human bird flu case was reported recently.

(Xinhua News Agency June 20, 2006)