On the farm as flu fears rise
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.