Govt finally admits to bird flu dangers

Sari P. Setiogi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government confirmed on Tuesday that avian influenza, which has been killing millions of chickens here, was the dangerous H5N1 strain that could also kill humans.

However, it was quick to insist that so far there were no signs that the disease had infected humans.

"The strain is pathogenic upon poultry and if it mutates, it could be transmitted to humans ... but so far there have been no cases among humans," animal health director at the Ministry of Agriculture Tri Satya Putri Naipospos H. told a media conference.

She said the conclusion was based on a laboratory test on Jan. 31 using antiserum imported from England.

A similar strain has been attacking poultry in Vietnam, Hong Kong, Thailand and China, killing tens of millions of chickens. In Vietnam and Thailand, the disease has killed 12 people in addition to millions of chickens.

The government officially confirmed the outbreak of avian influenza in Indonesia on Jan. 25, several months after the first few cases were detected in several areas. The disease has thus far killed about 4.7 million chickens in the country, costing the industry about Rp 7.7 trillion (US$911 million).

Tri said the government would adopt a two-pronged response to combating the disease.

For existing cases, healthy chickens sharing the same coops as infected ones would be killed, while those within one kilometer would be vaccinated.

"If a new case occurs in a new area, we shall resort to stamping-out, which is mass culling at the infected farm and other farms within a radius of one kilometer," she said.

According to Tri, H5N1 vaccines are now available for farmers free of charge, produced domestically by Pusat Veterinaria Farma (Pusvatma), Surabaya, PT. Vaksindo Satwa Nusantara, Bogor, and PT Medion, Bandung.

In addition, the government has allowed PT Biofarma to import the antiserum to meet local demand, estimated at 120 million doses per month.

Separately, director of animal-sourced disease eradication at the Ministry of Health Thomas Suroso said, thus far, no cases of humans infected by the H5N1 strain had been found in the country.

Blood samples had been taken from several chicken farmers considered at high risk of being infected by the disease in both Tabanan, Bali, and Tangerang, Banten, which are among the areas to have been hit by avian influenza.

"We have taken 102 blood samples from Tabanan -- including that of three-and-a-half-year-old Kadek, earlier reported to have been infected by the virus -- and 100 from Tangerang," said Thomas.

He said his office was awaiting the arrival of all the blood samples, but as of Tuesday morning, tests on 72 samples from each location had indicated negative results.

Thomas advised chicken farmers to wear N-95 or three-sheet surgery masks, gloves, goggles and boots when working on their farms or in close proximity to poultry.

Tri said in order to curb the spread of avian influenza, the government had started culling infected chickens while providing compensation to small farmers whose poultry was infected or reinfected after Jan. 29.

"We shall give compensation only to small, traditional farmers, but culling should also be carried out by all large, medium and small-scale enterprises if they find their poultry hit by the disease," said Tri.

Small, traditional farmers are defined as those who have up to 10,000 egg-laying or 15,000 meat-producing chickens.

Farmers will receive compensation amounting to the price of day-old chickens (DOCs) plus feed costs for one month for chicken meat producers and feed costs for two months for egg-laying chicken owners. Each farmer will receive compensation for up to a maximum of 5,000 chickens.

Officials have said the government has made available Rp 212 billion for vaccination, compensation and coop sterilization.