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