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Batam to cull thousands of chickens
The Batam city administration will cull chickens in locations within a 1-kilometer radius from areas with recorded cases of bird flu in an attempt to prevent the spread of the virus to humans
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he Batam city administration will cull chickens in locations within a 1-kilometer radius from areas with recorded cases of bird flu in an attempt to prevent the spread of the virus to humans.
Bird flu, or avian influenza, has spread rapidly in Batam. In less than a month, a total of 2,070 chickens died in two Batam subdistricts; Air Raja subdistrict in Bulang district and Tanjung Riau subdistrict in Sekupang district. The chickens tested positive for the deadly H5N1 virus, Batam’s Maritime, Fisheries, Agriculture and Forestry Affairs Agency (KP2K) confirmed.
KP2K chief Suhartini told The Jakarta Post on Thursday that chickens had been dying in the two subdistricts since the beginning of January.
“Hundreds more chickens from other subdistricts also died, possibly from bird flu, but local residents did not report the cases to us,” Suhartini said.
Meanwhile, Batam Mayor Ahmad Dahlan highlighted on Thursday that no cases of bird flu in humans had been found in Batam so far. He urged people to report dead poultry to the KP2K so that it could follow up and investigate the cause.
