50 Chickens Died from Avian Influenza in Pendem, Bali
Friday, 23 September 2011
This post is also available in: Indonesian
Denpasar – People should be careful when they buy live chickens in the market to keep. The Provincial Livestock Service Office of Bali suspected around 50 chickens found to die from H5N1 virus came from a traditional market in Pendem, Jembrana district.
“We have rapid-tested five chickens that were still alive from the same pen and the results were positive for avian influenza,” said Head of the Livestock Service Office of Bali Province, Putu Sumantra, in Denpasar.
As anticipative measures, the office has culled 20 live chickens around the site. Officers have also sprayed the pen and its surrounding area with disinfectant.
“We have sent out warnings to other areas. We notified them of the reemergence of avian influenza so they can take control measures,” he said.
Sumantra admits the office is still uncertain of how avian influenza had reemerged. “But field investigation found that several citizens had bought chickens from the market and raised them at home. That is most likely the source. Therefore we should be careful of possibly infected chickens in the market,” he added.
People who have chickens are also advised to maintain the cleanliness of their chicken pens. Biosecurity must be maintained to prevent the disease from spreading.
In 2006, an avian influenza outbreak occurred in Bali with 3 human casualties. (Ayu Sulistyowati | Marcus Suprihadi)
Source : Kompas