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500,000
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INDONESIA embarked on a massive anti-bird flu campaign that will see the testing of more than 500,000 chickens and birds over a three-day period. Poultry, Fishery and maritime department head Edi Setyarto said two pigeons in Jakarta tested positive for H5N1 yesterday morning. He said the department would destroy 50 pairs of pigeons in the vicinity. More than 600 workers are going door-to-door, to markets and poultry distribution centres to test for the bird flu. He campaign poses a challenge to the workers who have to check backyards |
in a city of 12 million people. The chickens roam in residential areas, making it easy for the virus to spread. The Government is expected to face opposition from residents and breeders who have been promised compensation of 10,000 rupiah (RM3.75) per bird. Chickens are sold for 10,000 rupiah to 18,000 rupiah while parrots command a much higher price. “Any chicken found to be infected will be destroyed. I am sure if we explain things to the people, they will understand”, Agriculture Ministry animal health director Syamsul Bahri said. |
The campaign is a significant move as the Government has been reluctant to cull sick birds as it did not want to anger a people struggling with soaring inflation and stagnant economic growth. Indonesia instead chose to vaccinate its chickens. Bird flu first emerged in the country in 2003 and quickly spread across the vast archipelago, infecting and killing millions of chickens. The Government has been criticized for being slow in taking steps to stem the spread of the virus even as people were dying of H5N1.
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