On the farm as flu fears rise

Bird flu or avian influenza has been confirmed as the cause of deaths of a man and his two children in Tangerang, Banten. The fatal disease is caused by the deadly H5N1 virus that can be transmitted from poultry to humans.

The government has called on people not to panic as the virus has not mutated to allow human-to-human transfer. It also said people could still consume chicken and eggs provided they were cooked well.

Despite the government's advice, the trade in chicken meat, especially in traditional markets, has dropped off.

The bird flu epidemic has affected poultry farms across the country. Thousands of chickens infected by the bird flu virus were slaughtered last year.

Government officials are planning a mass cull of all poultry and pigs within a three-kilometer radius of human bird flu cases, promising to compensate the farmers for their livestock.

This series of images show activities at several poultry farms in Tangerang.

--Text and Photos by R. Berto Wedhatama

Photo A : Flu

Some laying hens eat at their cage in a poultry farm. The bird flu has killed millions of chickens across the country, yet many remain unaffected by the disease.

Photo B : Flu

An poultry farm employee collects eggs produced by laying hens. The government has said that people can still consume eggs and chicken meat as long as they are cooked well.

Photo C : Flu

An official takes the blood sample of a chicken. The blood will be checked in a laboratory to find if it has been infected by the bird flu.

Photo D: Flu

Some employees pack eggs ready for delivery to the market. Thousands of people's livelihoods depend on the poultry business.

Photo E : Flu

A trader shows a healthy chicken to his customer. A healthy chicken can be identified from its red comb and pale, clean legs.

Photo F : Flu

A worker shows the corpse of a chicken which died of the common chicken disease tetelo (or Newcastle disease). People first blamed tetelo for decimating poultry farm populations across the country last year until the government officially confirmed the disease was bird flu.