4,900 cadres prepared to fight bird flu

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Sat, 02/17/2007 8:38 AM

SEMARANG, Central Java: The Central Java provincial administration has prepared around 4,900 cadres to help fight the deadly bird flu virus.

The recruitment of the cadres was conducted jointly with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) under the Participatory Learning Action program.

Tukiman Taruno of UNICEF'S Central Java office said in Semarang Thursday that the program started with the training of five cadres in each regency and city. Each group was later charged with training 28 new cadres in their respective regions.

With a total of 35 regencies and cities throughout Central Java, around 4,900 cadres have so far been recruited, Tukiman said.

""Under the training program we try to encourage the participation of the public and stimulate their awareness of the danger of the bird flu virus,"" he said.

Due to the high risks posed by bird flu, the program also involved the Family Welfare Movement, the Association of Indonesian Teachers, Nahdlatul Ulama, Muhammadiyah and others.

Tukiman said the cadres had been trained in detecting bird flu infections, maintaining bio-security, culling infected fowls and disseminating information to the public. -- JP

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