Thu, 03 Feb 2000

Reforestation urged to stop anthrax spread

JAKARTA (JP): The Purwakarta local government should ban the 70-hectares anthrax-plagued ostrich husbandry in Ciparung Sari village now isolated from any use for 10 years, and transfer it into a forest area instead.

"Reforestation will calm the anthrax virus and restrict the spread of the disease," the Ministry of Agriculture's Director of Animal Research, Kusuma Diwyanto, said here on Tuesday.

He said the virus normally requires 50 years to become locally extinct and while trees cannot eliminate the virus, they will help precipitate the process.

"As long as the virus is dormant, it will be harmless and will not spread," Kusuma added.

Anthrax has been diagnosed to affect the husbandry, a home to some 3,000 ostriches. Some people living near the husbandry have ignored warnings from the local administration and have stolen birds for food.

Kusuma said the ostrich husbandry, which runs without proper license, never checked the condition of the land with the authorities.

"The land is one of the areas in Indonesia prone to anthrax disease. It was originally restricted to husbandry," he added.

Kusuma said there were several areas in the country which contained the virus but could be reclaimed with some extra measures, including vaccination.

The Director General of Contagious Diseases and Settlement Environmental Sanitation, Umar Fahmi said on Monday that as long as other animals in the plagued area had been vaccinated, the virus would not spread.

The number of people contracted with anthrax has increased, Umar said, but the government has already taken steps to contain the disease.

"People should not worry about an anthrax epidemic because the disease spreads through animals."

Umar asserted that local meat was safe because the government has imposed standard procedures in dealing with the virus.

The procedures include eliminating all sick animals and surrounding plants. Vaccination then is applied to other animals in the area.

"The vaccine will definitely kill the virus," he added.(04)