2010-02-25 04:03:21 - Biological Hazard - Indonesia EDIS CODE: BH-20100225-25061-IDN
Date & Time: 2010-02-25 04:03:21 [UTC]
Area: Indonesia, Sumatra, Province of Lampung, Kota Metro Not confirmed information! Description: Hundreds of chickens in Kota Metro, Lampung Province, suddenly died this week, causing local chicken breeders to suffer material losses. Suyadi, 31-year-old local chicken breeder, said here Wednesday that he did not know the exact causes of his chickens` sudden death but he suspected the bird flu viruses of being the killers. "I firstly found that a few chickens suddenly died but the number got increased dramatically from day to day. I have lost a few hundreds," said the East Metro subdistrict`s resident. Suyadi said the local agricultural office`s workers had given disinfectant to his chicken cages but he failed to keep them clean during the rainy season. As a result, his chickens remained vulnerable to the attacks of dangerous diseases, he said. Jaelani said hundreds of his chickens also suffered sudden death during this rainy season. The 40-year-old chicken breeder of North Metro subdistrict said the bird flu viruses might have caused the death of his 200 - 300 chickens. Therefore, he urged local veterinarians and other related authorities to take immediate actions to halt the spread of bird flu viruses and conduct the awareness campaigns. "The awareness campaign is needed because not all people here have well understood about the dangers of bird flu viruses and how to handle them," he said. Jaelani said not all people had known what to do when the viruses attacked their chickens. During the rainy season, the avian influenza has not only infected chickens in Lampung but also those in other provinces, including South Kalimantan and West Java.
The infected regencies in South Kalimantan were Tanah Laut, Banjar, Barito Kuala Hulu Sungai Tengah and Banjarbaru, causing thousands of chickens to eliminated to curb the virus spread. About the sort of bird flu attacking Indonesia, a veterinarian in West Java town of Garut said on Tuesday that it was classified as "highly pathogenic avian influenza" (HPAI). In the West Java district of Garut alone, there were at least 75 cases of HPAI between 2006 and 2010 in which more than 2,893 chickens suddenly died, Dida K.Endang said. The attacks in 48 villages of Garut district over the past four years had sparked fears of human infection, said the head of Garut`s veterinary office recently. To protect local residents from the worst possibilities, a total of 7,000 infected chickens were culled. Local authorities paid the owners a compensation of Rp12,500 (US$1,4) for every culled chicken, Endang said. However, not all people voluntarily gave their ailing chickens for culling. Instead of burning the infected chickens, many Garut residents throw them into rivers, creeks, or ponds. Worse still, some even consumed the infected chickens, he said. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), avian influenza or "bird flu" is a contagious disease of animals caused by a virus that normally infect only birds and, less commonly, pigs. The WHO has warned that the infection with avian influenza could spread very rapidly through poultry flocks. Indonesia has 33 provinces. Only three have been confirmed free from the threat of bird flu.
The name of Hazard: H5N1 (poultry)
Species: Animal
Status: Confirmed
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