Thousands of chickens die en masse of H5N1

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Residents worry as chickens die en masse

Oyos Saroso H.N. , The Jakarta Post , South Lampung | Sat, 01/30/2010 12:53

PM | The Archipelago

Residents in South Lampung are panicking following the sudden deaths of

thousands of chickens owned by poultry company PT Central Avian Pertiwi, despite

the birds having been previously cleared of avian flu.

However, after samples were re-tested at the Lampung Livestock and Animal

Husbandry Agency lab, they were tested positive for H5N1.

The egg-laying hens, totaling more than 12,000, have currently been culled and

tens of thousands of others have been isolated.

" Residents are afraid they will be infected by the bird flu virus. The poultry

company has taken several measures, such as isolating the healthy chickens,

destroying the sick and those showing signs of being infected, " said South

Lampung Livestock Agency head Ahmad Khandrie on Friday.

The poultry farm is now under the supervision of the Tanjungkarang Veterinary

Agency, Lampung Husbandry Office and South Lampung Livestock Agency.

A resident in Merakbelantung village, Kalianda, South Lampung, Sobirin, 38,

whose house is near the poultry farm, said the chickens had died suddenly over

the past four days.

" Thousands of chickens are dying daily. We are obviously worried, especially

after being informed that the chickens died after being infected by the bird flu

virus, " he said.

" The smell from the burning dead chickens has also disturbed residents. Some

were forced to stay at their relatives in Bandarlampung out of fear. "

A virologist at the veterinary agency, Sri Marfiatiningsih, said besides being

infected by H5N1, another factor in the chickens' mass deaths in Lampung was the

changing weather. She said abrupt deaths of chickens mostly occurred between

January to February, with a likely decline in March.

In the middle of January, residents in Sripendowo village, Ketapang district in

South Lampung, found their chickens dying suddenly. They were believed to have

been infected by the H5N1 virus.

" The poultry farms are located not far from the Sripendowo traditional market, "

Khandrie said.

" We then sprayed disinfectant around the area to prevent the infection from

spreading. "

He added that his office had also provided free treatment for poultry since

December last year to anticipate the virus from spreading.

Data at the South Lampung Livestock Agency indicated that the H5N1 virus was

first detected in the regency in 2003.

It was initially only detected in Tegineneng and Natar districts. Out of the

around 50,000 chickens in South Lampung, only around 20 percent have been

vaccinated.

In East Lampung regency, the H5N1 virus has spread to a number of districts,

such as Sukadana, Purbolinggo, Marga Tiga and Labuhan Ratu.

Animal Health division head at the East Lampung Livestock Agency Dewanto said

thousands of poultry, especially barnyard chickens owned by residents, would die

suddenly due to the H5N1 virus every year, but it had yet to infect humans.

He said more than 1,000 chickens have abruptly died of the virus in East Lampung

as of Friday.

" East Lampung is suffering a bird flu epidemic. We are facing difficulties in

eradicating the disease due to limited funds of only Rp 34 million *US$3,400*

annually. "

Separately in Sukabumi, West Java, around 300 chickens that suddenly died in

Cibadak district were confirmed to have been infected with the H5N1 virus,

Antara reported.