Bird flu detected in more areas

Bird flu detected in more areas

Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Jakarta administration announced on Thursday over 500 birds
would be culled in several subdistricts in East Jakarta, the day
after infected birds were found in four more subdistricts in West
Jakarta, Central Jakarta and North Jakarta.

An official at the Jakarta Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and
Maritime Affairs Agency, Adnan Ahmad, said his office would begin
culling birds in subdistricts in East Jakarta on Friday morning,
noting that the area had the highest bird infection rate.

"We will concentrate on culling birds in Utan Kayu, East
Jakarta. Birds from other subdistricts will be brought there. We
expect to cull over 500 different kinds of birds tomorrow
(Friday)," he told The Jakarta Post.

Adnan expressed hope the owners of the birds would be
cooperative, noting the cull was for their own safety. "But we do
not have the money to compensate them."

The agency found on Wednesday dozens of birds infected with
avian influenza in the subdistricts of Ceger, Utan Kayu, Pondok
Kelapa, Duren Sawit and Cipinang Melayu, all in East Jakarta, as
well as in Sunter Jaya in North Jakarta and Kapuk in West
Jakarta.

Adnan said infected birds had also been detected in the
subdistricts of Petojo in Central Jakarta and Cilincing in North
Jakarta.

"Out of 54 samples tested in Petojo, we found five birds with
avian influenza, and from 56 samples tested in Cilincing, one
bird was infected. We are still conducting tests on other birds
in other areas," he said.

Adnan said his office had only conducted about 2,000 tests in
30 of the capital's 267 subdistricts.

The World Health Organization-sanctioned laboratory in Hong
Kong has confirmed 11 bird flu cases in humans in Indonesia.
Seven people have died from the virus.

Meanwhile, a resident of Kampung Gardu, Buaran village,
Serpong, Tangerang, complained that she had received no response
from authorities after reporting that at least 10 chickens in the
area had died suddenly, and that several children had also come
down with fevers.

"I have reported several times but they are busy. We are
frantic. We want them to at least check whether the chickens are
infected with bird flu or not. Are they going to wait until
someone dies before paying attention?" she told the Post.