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Residents worry as chickens die en masse
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
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esidents 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.
