Bird flu back in some regions<\/p>\n
Zakki P. Hakim, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Cases of bird flu have recurred in some parts of previously
\naffected areas in Indonesia, but the government says it has taken
\nmeasures to prevent the deadly disease from spreading to new
\nareas.<\/p>\n
\"A week ago, we launched a massive campaign to vaccinate
\nchickens to prevent an event similar to what happened in Thailand
\nand Vietnam,\" director of animal health at the Ministry of
\nAgriculture Tri Satya Putri Naipospos told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Earlier reports said that Thailand and Vietnam had recently
\nexperienced a fresh outbreak of bird flu cases, including some in
\nareas not previously affected. The virus was also found in China.<\/p>\n
Starting on July 15, the government, via the Ministry of
\nAgriculture, distributed as many as 300 million doses of vaccine
\nto small and medium-sized poultry farms across the country.<\/p>\n
\"We aim to establish an immune population, and to reduce both
\nthe population that is vulnerable to the disease and the
\nmortality rate. Therefore, even if the virus cannot be totally
\neliminated from a farm, the chickens will not be affected,\" she
\nsaid on the phone, while on her way to Tulungagung regency, East
\nJava.<\/p>\n
According to data from the ministry, at least 1,700 chickens
\nhave been killed by bird flu in Tulungagung since June.<\/p>\n
The ministry also said that some 3,100 chickens in Demak (East
\nJava), Purworejo (Central Java) and Gunung Kidul (Yogyakarta) had
\ndied since May.<\/p>\n
Tri explained that, based on her preliminary information,
\nchicken farmers in Tulungagung had been negligent in dealing with
\nthe virus, failing to follow procedures recommended by the
\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
\"The farmers (in affected areas) may only restock their
\npoultry after the property has been empty for 30 days following
\ncleaning and sterilization,\" she said, adding that she received
\nreports that farmers had ignored the recommendation.<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu, or
\navian flu, swept across Asia, ravaging the poultry industry and
\nkilling 24 people in Thailand and Vietnam. More than 100 million
\nchickens and ducks across the region were slaughtered to help
\ncurb the spread of the disease. That included some 4.7 million
\nchickens in Indonesia, which saw some 95 regencies in 15
\nprovinces affected.<\/p>\n
Although the government received in February strong criticism
\nfrom the international community for responding too slowly to the
\ndisease, the problem seemed already to be under control a month
\nlater through a combination of mass slaughter, use of vaccines
\nand other measures.<\/p>\n
Minister of Agriculture Bungaran Saragih said last month that
\nit would take three years for Indonesia to be totally free of the
\nvirus, and warned that the country was still vulnerable to a new
\noutbreak.<\/p>\n
Hans Wagner, of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in
\nBangkok, said that the Indonesian government should start to
\ncontrol the movement of animals.<\/p>\n
\"We've seen a slight geographical expansion of the disease,
\nbut it's not as dramatic as it was months ago,\" Wagner told the
\nAssociated Press.<\/p>\n
\"This shows that there is still work to be done in controlling
\nthe movement of animals. We believe that has been a factor in the
\ncontinuous spread of the disease.\"<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bird-flu-back-in-some-regions-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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