BIRD FLU STILL RAMPANT IN JAMBI PROVINCE

Jambi, Jambi, March 12 (ANTARA) - Bird flu had remained a serious threat in Jambi province because 2,000 chickens had died over the past month, a local health official said.

Almost all districts and towns in Jambi had practically been infected with the deadly virus, Head of the province's animal husbandry office, Hanis Lubis, said here Friday.

"Based on the reports that I have received two thousand chickens have suddenly died over the past month. This number represents a 50-percent increase compared with last year's figure," she said.

The wider spread of the Avian Influenza in Jambi this year was mainly caused by the longer rainy season than last year, Lubis said.

Apart from the weather factor, the destructive habit of chicken breeders also contributed to the wider spread of the deadly viruses.

Lubis said local chicken breeders remained accustomed to throwing the dead chickens into rivers.

"Instead of throwing them away, the chickens must be burned before burying them to halt the bird flu virus spread," she said.

The dead chickens mostly belonged to local residents but there were no reports of Avian Influenza virus transmission to human.

Despite the absence of the human case of bird flu infection, local residents and chicken breeders need to be cautious with the unwanted eventualities, she said.

Veterinarians had been deployed to the affected regencies and towns to intensify public awareness campaigns.

"We urge locals to immediately inform us if they find a big number of suddenly-dead chickens. They must also avoid a direct contact with those chickens," she said.

The bird flu attacks remain serious problem for almost all provinces in Indonesia particularly during rainy season.
The bird flu viruses attacking the country is classified as "highly pathogenic avian influenza".

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), avian influenza or "bird flu" is a contagious disease of animals caused by viruses that normally infect only birds and, less commonly, pigs.

The WHO has warned that the infection with avian influenza viruses could spread very rapidly through poultry flocks.

Indonesia has 33 provinces. Only three have been confirmed free from the threat of bird flu viruses.

Indonesia has been dealing with bird flu since 2005. However, the H5N1 type influenza is also known to have attacked chicken and birds in other Asian countries, such as Thailand, Cambodia, China, and Vietnam.