马耳他农村事务部最近开通的一条禽流感热线显得异常繁忙，每小时竟然可以接到200个电话，人们将自己见到的每一起鸟类死亡情况都汇报给了该部门。 　

    据路透社10月25日报道，该国农村事务部的一位发言人表示："公众对禽流感保持警惕是非常重要的，但也完全没有必要表现得过分惊慌。"

    做为一个拥有约37万人口的岛国，马耳他至今仍未明确发现禽流感，但该国政府一直告诫国民应当将自己看到的鸟类死亡情况和其它禽流感疑似迹象及时向有关部门报告。按照该国农村事务部的说法，在电话中提到的鸟类死亡事件大部分都发生在人们自己饲养的各种鸟儿身上。

    A bird flu emergency helpline set up by Malta's Rural Affairs Ministry is attracting 200 phone calls an hour as people report every dead bird they see, Maltese newspapers reported on Tuesday.

    "While it is important that the public remains cautious, there is absolutely no reason for excessive alarm," a ministry spokesman said.

    Malta, an island with a population of about 370,000, has had no confirmed bird flu cases but people have been urged to report dead birds or suspicions of bird flu. The ministry said most of the calls involved the death of individual birds.