Indonesia begins massive anti-bird flu campaign
The Star, 25 Feb 2006

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP): Authorities in the Indonesian capital kicked off a massive anti-bird flu campaign on Friday, vowing to test chickens across the teeming city and cull all birds within one kilometer of an outbreak. 

"With this I declare war on bird flu,'' Agriculture Minister Anton Apriyanto told hundreds of government workers and vets gathered outside city hall at a ceremony to mark the beginning of the campaign. "Bird flu has now reached an alarming level.'' 

Indonesia, which has so far recorded 19 deaths from the virus, was criticized for failing to take the threat seriously when humans first began dying last year. Most of the cases have been in the capital, Jakarta. 

The three-day campaign aims to test birds across the city of 12 million people, many of whom keep one or two chickens or songbirds in the their backyards. There are tens of thousands of other live chickens at markets or poultry distribution centers. Officials have said that all birds within one kilometer of an outbreak will be slaughtered, and their owners paid the equivalent of US$1 a bird. Chickens fetch between US$1 and US$2 on the market, songbirds considerably more. 

It remains to be seen how effective the campaign will be in city known for its corrupt and inefficient government. Moreover, there have been no sanctions announced for those who refuse to give in their birds. 

The H5N1 virus has devastated poultry stocks and killed at least 92 people, mostly in Asia, since 2003, according to the World Health Organization. 

Most human cases of the disease have been linked to contact with infected birds. But scientists fear the virus could mutate into a form that is easily transmitted between humans, possibly sparking a global pandemic.