Reforestation urged to stop anthrax spread
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)