The government has formed the National Commission of Zoonosis, to replace the National Commission for Bird Flu Control and Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (Komnas FBPI), which will reach the end of its term on March 13.
Agriculture Ministry official Agus Wiyono said Thursday the newly established commission would work directly under Deputy Agriculture Minister Bayu Khrisnamurti, who chairs the existing bird flu commission. However, the new commission will receive operational funding from the Coordinating Public Welfare Ministry.
Agus said the existing commission had received an increasing number of avian flu reports in Java over the past 3 months.
“We must take these reports positively. This show that people are now more aware of the virus,” he said as quoted by kompas.com.
Indonesia has now recorded 161 cases of avian flu, with 134 deaths since 2003.
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