City asks residents to remain vigilant

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Although the Jakarta administration maintains the capital is free from avian influenza, it has urged residents to be aware of the possibility of an outbreak. Three residents of Villa Melati Mas housing complex in Serpong, Tangerang, died last month of the bird flu virus.

"So far, we have not received any reports of Jakarta residents contracting the virus from the City Health Agency. But, I call on residents to remain vigilant to stave off the virus, including by properly cooking (poultry)," Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso said at City Hall.

Avian influenza in chicken cannot withstand cooking at 80 degrees Celsius for three minutes, while the safe cooking time for an egg is four and a half minutes at 60 degrees Celsius.

"Fortunately, most Jakartans are familiar with the process of scalding, where the chicken is submerged in boiling water for at least 15 minutes, which makes it easier to pluck," City Animal Husbandry, Fishery and Maritime Affairs Agency head Edy Setiarto said.

For chicken satay, he said, the meat was barbecued at a temperature of up to 500 degrees Celsius.

"That's why we think it is safe to consume both chicken and eggs," he said.

Public apprehension over eating chicken has severely affected the poultry industry, which has reported a sharp decline in demand.

Jakartans eat between 300,000 and 400,000 chickens a day, mostly from cities in West Java, like Tasikmalaya, Bogor, Cianjur, Sukabumi and Ciamis and Central Java in Surakarta. Only 7 percent of them are from Tangerang.

The agency has reported a 20 percent decline in sales of chicken meat.

Some chicken suppliers, however, have reported a sharp plunge of 65 percent.

Sulasto, a chicken supplier for several big chain restaurants in the capital, said his supply of 14,000 chickens a day had been slashed to 5,000.

The agency said it had introduced precautionary measures, such as careful monitoring of the influx of chickens from Tangerang, where the first avian flu case was detected. Tangerang is located 30 kilometers to the west of Jakarta.

The government has confirmed as dying from HN51 bird flu virus Iwan Siswara Rafei, 38, who was an auditor with the National Audit Agency, and his two young daughters Sabrina Nurul Aisyah, 9, and one-year old Thalita Nurul Hikmah.

The agency also said it had given free vaccinations to chicken farmers in areas on the border of the city.

As of Monday, the agency had vaccinated at least 28,426 chickens on farms across the city.

Meanwhile, City Health Agency spokeswoman Zelvino confirmed that no Jakarta resident had contracted the virus to date.

How to avoid bird flu virus
* Protect ourselves by washing hands frequently
* Avoid direct contact with poultry and livestock suspected of bird flu infection. The virus can be transmitted through their feces, vomit and saliva
* Poultry workers should always wear masks and gloves to avoid any direct contact, as well as wash their hands with disinfectant liquid after working
* Cook chicken meat and pork for at least three minutes at 80 degrees Celsius, as the virus cannot withstand high temperatures.
* Avoid consuming half-cooked eggs
* Take anyone with influenza, cough and high fever (above 38 degrees Celsius) to the nearest hospital, particularly those who have a history of direct contact with poultry or infected animals
* Children, the elderly and people with heart problems and chronic pulmonary disease should avoid livestock farms

Suspected avian flu treatment flowchart:
*Only patients showing avian flu symptoms and having had direct contact with infected animals will be temporarily isolated for observation in referral hospitals
*If laboratory tests are proven negative for any other disease with similar symptoms, the patients' blood sample and throat swab will be tested for avian flu
*Patients who are though to have avian flu can be treated with an antiviral treatment