Negligence causes new bird flu cases: Association

Zakki P. Hakim and ID Nugroho, Jakarta/Tulungagung, East Java

Carelessness on the part of farmers has been the main reason for the reoccurrence of avian influenza or bird flu in previously infected areas, according to one poultry industry leader.

Chairman of the East Java chapter of the Association of Indonesian Poultry Breeders Paul Iskandar acknowledged on Thursday that many farmers had tended to neglect the importance of sanitation, which is an important factor in containing the virus.

Moreover, he said that the breeders were not disciplined in vaccinating the chickens.

"Although it is not on such a massive scale as earlier this year, the virus has struck several farms in East Java again," Paul told The Jakarta Post.

Director of animal health at the Ministry of Agriculture Tri Satya Naipospos said earlier on Wednesday that at least 1,700 chickens had died as a result of bird flu in Tulungagung regency, East Java, since June.

According to the ministry 3,100 chickens also died in Demak (East Java), Purworejo (Central Java), and Gunung Kidul (Yogyakarta).

All these areas are among the 95 regencies in the country that experienced a bird flu epidemic earlier this year that killed millions of chickens.

The government has distributed 300 million vials of vaccine across the country since the middle of the month.

"The virus spread is under control," Tri said.

"We cannot totally eliminate the virus, but we can at least contain the spread by maintaining a certain standard of farm sanitation," she said on Thursday.

The H5NI strain of avian influenza hit Asia earlier this year, causing huge losses to the poultry industry and killing 24 people in Thailand and Vietnam. More than 100 million chickens and ducks in the region were culled to help curb the disease.

Reports have said that Thailand and Vietnam have recently seen the reemergence of bird flu cases in new areas, which were previously not affected by the disease.

Paul said that East Java breeders were reluctant to report the disease due to worries that stories in the media would cause the market price of chickens and eggs to drop .

Indeed, chairman of the poultry association Anton J. Supit urged the government to be extra careful in issuing statements about the new cases, as it could have a negative impact on poultry breeders.

"Such statements or premature assumptions ... could result in extraordinary damage -- price and consumption would fall," he said.

He also said that the government has handled the bird flu well to date.

Anton acknowledged it would take three consecutive years of close monitoring before the country could be free of the virus, adding that during that time the deadly disease may reoccur.

Anton said that no place in the world was sterile, as even the U.S. had the virus, so the reoccurrence of bird flu cases in some previously affected areas was still tolerable following a massive outbreak earlier this year.