Poultry ban for 6 months

JAKARTA (JP): The ministry of agriculture said here Saturday that a ban on poultry imports, particularly from Hong Kong and mainland China, introduced on Jan. 1 would continue for six months.

Head of the ministry's public relations department Darman B. Hasibuan said the ban was aimed at preventing an outbreak of the deadly bird flu which has killed several people in Hong Kong and triggered fears of a worldwide epidemic.

He said the ministry, through its quarantine and animal husbandry offices, had warned the public that there was a possibility of contamination from any carrier of the disease.

"People who notice any symptoms of bird flu should immediately report it to their local animal husbandry office," he said. (gis)