Get password
   
Search Product
Please select
 
Services
Product Categories
Message Board
Partners




Co-Funded

more details..

Jakarta culls One Million Fowl, Bans Backyard Farming starting 1 February


Thursday January 25, 2007

With the death of a 19-year-old woman from West Java on Friday, Indonesia today counts a total of 62 persons who have died from the bird flu in Indonesia, the Ministry of Health said on Saturday (20/1/07). In an urgent bid to contain the spread of the disease, the government further announced that it will expand the ban against backyard poultry farming to 9 regions, that was at first to take affect in three provinces only, reports Reuters as quoted by Indonesia’s Trade and Investment News issued by the Coordinating Ministry for the Economy. 

Dr. Muhammad Nadirin at the ministry's bird flu center, told Reuters that the woman was sick since January 11 and was admitted to the Garut General Hospital on January 17. "Six days before she got sick she had contact with a sick chicken that, according to the agriculture department's rapid test, was also positive for bird flu."

On Thursday (18/1/07), Minister of Health Siti Fadilah Supari said the government will extend a ban against backyard poultry, which previously would apply to the province of Jakarta only starting February 1, will now include eight other provinces that had reported human infections. The eight other provinces are West Java, Banten, North Sumatra, West Sumatra, Lampung, Central Java, East Java  and South Sulawesi.

"There must be special zones for poultry away from residential areas," she told reporters, adding the measure would eventually be enforced in all the country's 33 provinces.
The nine provinces have agreed to issue bylaws in a follow-up to the national policy since legislation on Regional Autonomy stipulates that actions related to health issues are the jurisdiction and the responsibility of regional authorities, while the national government’s authority is limited to outlining policies only.   Its implementation will depend on the particular situation and conditions within each region for as long as contact between fowls and humans are limited.  
The Health Minister further explained, that although scientists in Bali have found cats and dogs infected with bird flu, no indications have as yet been found of any patient having become ill with the H5N1 virus because of close contact with these animals. Until today, all patients in Indonesia have become infected because of wrong handling of infected poultry.
Meanwhile, Minister for Internal Affairs has similarly urged regions to tightly supervise and control the traffic of the poultry trade between regions, control markets, ban the slaughter of fowl outside specified slaughter houses, increase sanitation, vaccinate chicken and other fowl, keep records on Avian Flu cases in each village, and improve facilities where infected patients are treated.
In the capital city of Jakarta, Governor Sutyoso vowed to cull one million fowl, including chicken, ducks, geese, and quails, that are found roaming free or farmed in backyards, in order to completely free the capital city from this deadly disease, found both in animals as in humans.  All other feathered birds, such as parrots, pigeons, song birds or other fowl must obtain a special health certification from the community animal health authorities before the deadline on 1 February.
Fearing that their children may be infected, Jakarta’s local communities have responded positively by voluntarily bringing their chicken and other fowl for checking or slaughter.