SUKOHARJO –Residents of Sukoharjo District are advised to be aware of Avian Influenza (AI). Thousands of quails owned by citizens in Sonorejo administrative village, Sukoharjo subdistrict,have already been infected by the H5N1 AI virus.

The virus has the potential to also infect humans. Sukoharjo Agricultural Services has culled thousands of AI infected quails. “Quails positive with AI were culled and burned to prevent the virus from spreading,” said Head ofAnimal Health Post (Poskeswan) of Sukoharjo Agricultural Services, Lenny Sri Lestari yesterday.

Indications of AI infection in quails in Sonorejo were apparent since late November. The main symptom was sudden death of birds. At the start, over 3,500 quails suddenly died. Within 3 days another 2,000 birds died. Agricultural Services then dispatched officers to investigate the incident.

“To confirm the cause, we sent samples for further testing and the results were positive for Avian Influenza,” said Lenny. Afterwards, Agricultural Services quickly returned to the farmers, gathered the 2,000 dead birds and buried them. Meanwhile, the remaining 1,500 quails that were still alive were slaughtered, burned and buried.

Head of Livestock Division of Sukoharjo Agricultural Services, Yuli Dwi Irianto explained that after culling, officers instructed farmers to keep the pens empty for at least 2 months to break the transmission cycle of the virus. In total, the incident cost over 30 million rupiahs.

Based on observations by officers, the pens used to house quails were substandard. It was only 4 x 10 meters with poor ventilation and lacks direct sunlight. “We advise resident to build pens at least 20 meters away from home. Make sure there is enough ventilation and sunlight,” said Yuli.

Currently, the pens and houses of farmers with infected quails have been disinfected. However, Sonorejo administrative village in Sukoharjo subdistrict is now an AI endemic area. When inquired about the cause of the incident, Yuli said the quails caught the virus from Muscovy ducks owned by a neighbor.

“The Muscovy duck didn’t die, but the virus was carried by the wind and infected the quails instead. Currently all of Sonorejo has been sterilized and so far only one case was reported,” said Yuli.

Despite that, Sukoharjo Agricultural Services still urges residents to be more cautious of possible AI emergence. Moreover since the season is shifting from dry to rainy season, it could potentially trigger various disease incidences in birds. “Overall, AI incidences this year is lower compared to 2014,” said Yuli. (Sumarno)

Source: Koran Sindo