Bird flu in RI limited to poultry only, for now
Bird flu in RI limited to poultry only, for now
Zakki P. Hakim, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The government stated on Tuesday that the bird flu strain in the
country was not the type that could be transmitted from poultry
to human beings, as revealed by the latest test conducted at the
World Health Organization (WHO)-referred laboratory in Hong Kong.
Ministry of Agriculture's director of animal health Tri Satya
Putri Naipospos said the test showed that the H5N1 virus found in
Indonesia was different from the virus found in Vietnam and
Thailand.
"According to the test result, Indonesia has a H5N1 virus with
genotype-z that cannot be transmitted from poultry to humans,"
she told a press conference.
She went on to explain that the virus in Indonesia was similar
to that found in Yunan province on mainland China.
However, she said the ministry was waiting for more test
results of samples sent to laboratories in Australia and Britain,
to check whether the virus had mutated into a deadlier form that
could be transmitted to humans or have the potential to mutate.
The ministry expects to receive the results by the end of this
month.
She acknowledged that there was a possibility that the virus
could mutate considering the fact that the virus should not have
survived in a tropical climate like in Indonesia in the first
place.
Tri's statements came amid reports that the bird flu in
Thailand is suspected to have mutated into a more deadlier form.
"In other countries, the virus has mutated and been
transmitted to humans. The latest concerns are that there is a
possible case of human-to-human transmission in Thailand," she
said, adding that international health institutions were still
trying to confirm the latest mutation.
Human-to-human transmission of the virus would allow it to
spread easily and quickly, and thus be more difficult to curb.
Tri said that although WHO had started to develop a vaccine
for humans in anticipation of the virus mutating and posing a
direct threat to the human race, it would be best if infected
countries, including Indonesia, could stop the virus while it was
still in birds.
The deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu, or avian flu, swept
through Asia late last year, ravaging the poultry industry and
killing 31 people in Thailand and Vietnam. More than 100 million
chickens and ducks across the region were slaughtered to contain
the disease's spread.
By the end of March, eight million chickens, ducks, geese,
pigeons and other birds in Indonesia were estimated to have died
from the disease. The country's poultry population was estimated
at 1.3 million birds last year. The outbreak affected some 98
regencies in 15 of Indonesia's 32 provinces.
Although the government claims that it has been able to
effectively contain the virus since July, the ministry warned
that the disease could reoccur in endemic areas any time if
people were not careful.
"Bird flu cases in the country decreased from January to
September and it is now under control," Tri said.
However, she said in order to declare the country free of the
virus, all stakeholders must apply strict biosecurity measures,
as vaccination could only contain the spread, not remove the
threat of the virus.
Total bird deaths due to avian flu
August to December 2003 4,130,290
January 2,576,812
February 1,941,799
March 227,100
April 1,730
May 5,981
June 1,160
Note: Figures from 98 regencies in 15 provinces
Source: Ministry of Agriculture