TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
City on alert to ward off bird flu
In an effort to maintain vigilance against the possible resurgence of an avian influenza outbreak, the Jakarta administration culled poultry in several residential areas on Wednesday
Change Size
I
n an effort to maintain vigilance against the possible resurgence of an avian influenza outbreak, the Jakarta administration culled poultry in several residential areas on Wednesday.
The Central Jakarta agriculture and animal husbandry agency destroyed birds in the neighborhoods of Pasar Baru, Kemayoran and Cempaka Putih. “Chickens, ducks and geese were all culled, and the owners were all cooperative as they have been warned about it beforehand,” head of the supervision and control division at the sub-agency Sarjoni said.
Cry fowl: Officials cull poultry in Sunter Agung, North Jakarta, on Monday in after a 23-year-old man contractedbird fl u and died. JP/Wendra Ajistyatama
From the culling he added, the sub-agency found more than 1,000 birds kept in backyard farms. Some of them were killed and some others were quarantined. “All poultry that are kept for food were slaughtered on the spot, and then we distributed the meat to the people living in the neighborhoods,” he said.
“We also decided to take and destroy the cages so that people could understand that it is forbidden to keep poultry in residential areas as their backyard farms,” Sarjoni said.
However, he said, fighting roosters were exempted from the slaughter, but the officers asked the owners to take them outside the city immediately.
“And for tomorrow [Thursday], we will conduct another cull in the Menteng area,” he said, adding that the officers would conduct regular inspections in all areas.
In the wake of the death of a 23-year-old man in North Jakarta infected with bird flu, the Jakarta Maritime and Agriculture Agency began culling fowls found in the capital.
On Tuesday, the agency also examined areas in West Jakarta, East Jakarta and South Jakarta.
The 23-year-old man from North Jakarta was confirmed to have died of bird flu. The victim was believed to have contracted the virus from his sick pigeon, which was not properly registered.
His relative, identified as A.S.R., 5, is currently being treated at Persahabatan Hospital but has tested negative for bird flu after several examinations.
“But we don’t know yet what she is suffering from now. Maybe it is a high fever or dengue fever,” the
Jakarta Health Agency chief Dien Emmawati said.
Based on the 2007 bylaw that was enacted to anticipate the threat of bird flu in the city, there are several kinds of poultry that are not allowed be kept in backyard farms or as pets without certification, including chickens, pigeons, and geese.
The head of the farm division at the agency, Dzawil Hidyah, said although the process was simple and free, many residents were still reluctant to register their birds.
“They just need to come to the subdistrict office, and we will just check everything, such as the condition of the birds, the cage, and give them instructions on how to clean the cage,” she said.
“But some don’t know about the process, so they don’t register the bird with the authorities or have it certified.”
Indonesia remains a H5N1 virus hot spot as backyard poultry farms constitute the backbone of the meat supply for the population, including in Jakarta.
The government said that they had intensified monitoring and enforcement efforts across the country to prevent the outbreak of a possible pandemic.
Last year, there were nine bird flu cases recorded in Indonesia and seven reported deaths. In Jakarta alone, there were three cases with two deaths recorded.
