Negligence causes new bird flu cases: Association

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.