Officials cull birds as cases rise

Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

City officials culled scores of birds, including 35 pigeons, in Sunter Jaya, North Jakarta, on Tuesday, as confirmed human bird flu cases rose to 10.

Sulianti Saroso Hospital spokesman Ilham Patu said on Tuesday that the World Health Organization-sanctioned laboratory in Hong Kong had confirmed that Siti Sarah, 16, had died of bird flu.

"We have a confirmation from Hong Kong that she was infected with bird flu," he told The Jakarta Post.

Siti died last Sunday days after she was admitted to the Agung Hospital in Manggarai, South Jakarta.

The announcement brought the number of confirmed human bird flu cases to 10, including six deaths, since July, when the first human case was found in Tangerang, Banten.

The number of bird flu cases may go up to 11 as the Ministry of Health announced on Monday that Dian Rahmaningrum had died of bird flu last Sunday. Further tests by the WHO-sanctioned laboratory in Hong Kong were underway.

Jakarta Husbandry Agency officials took blood samples from 50 birds in Sunter Jaya on Monday, after a laboratory test by the Ministry of Health suggested that Dian Rahmaningrum, who lived in the neighborhood, died of from avian influenza last Saturday.

At least eight of the birds in the neighborhood tested positive to the avian influenza virus. Residents within a 200- meter radius of Dian's house voluntarily gave up their birds to be slaughtered.

Head of animal health at the agency Ahmad Adnan said that they decided to kill all birds found within 200 meters of Dian's house.

Some 35 pigeons, three large turtledoves, two small turtledoves and one dove were also culled.

"We must kill the birds to prevent the virus from spreading to other neighborhoods. The owners of those birds voluntarily handed them over as they said it was for their own safety," Ahmad said, adding that the government did not compensate the owners.

He said that his office was still conducting checks on other neighborhoods across the city.

Separately, the North Jakarta Husbandry Office and PT Kalbe Farma conducted promotional activities and sprayed disinfectant at the Mandiri Market in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta, to prevent bird flu from spreading to the area.

The activities were welcomed by most chicken traders in the market, who said that their sales had dropped since the bird flu outbreak started in July.

"After the explanation and spraying, we can now convince our customers that our chicken meat is free from bird flu," Mutia, one of chicken traders at the market, told the Post.

PT Kalbe Farma's public relations officer Dian Firlia said that they would continue to assist the husbandry agency to conduct promotional activities and that they would be spraying several more markets in the city to prevent the bird flu virus from spreading.

;JP;ABDUL; ANPAv..r.. Photo- Photo caption JP/Abdul Khalik

Photo caption

BIRD FLU ACTION: Two officials from the North Jakarta Husbandry Agency slaughter a pigeon before throwing it into a fire. On Tuesday the agency culled 41 birds in the Sunter Jaya neighborhood after a local resident died from bird flu. Eight birds in the area tested positive to the virus.