Snowy Owl
Retired in 2010, In Memoriam
Jakarta facing serious bird flu threat,
says official
says official
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The fatal bird flu virus may spread so rapidly in Central Jakarta unless immediate precautionary measures are taken, an official said.
With a high population density and an area covering 18,000 square kilometers, efforts to immediately curb the spread of the H5N1 virus which is responsible for bird flu or avian influenza is very necessary, Central Jakarta Mayor Muhayat said in a statement made available here Sunday.
"Today bird flu infection has nearly reached the third stage, namely from poultry to people. Jakarta will face a big disaster if bird flu infection is in its fourth stage, namely, from humans to humans," he said.
In the statement, Muhayat said that current efforts to curb the spread of the deadly bird flu virus in Central Jakarta are made for people only.
The community in Senen district conducted a depopulation of five species of poultry in Kramat Sentiong area on Sunday.
About 1,000 healthy chickens out of 5,000 registered chickens were culled in Kramat Sentiong and eaten after they were cooked.
Officials said last week the number of deaths from the bird flu in the country had reached 62.
The latest death was the 62nd in a total of 80 bird flu cases, and the fifth in 2007. Indonesia has the world`s highest death rate of the disease.
Vietnam had 42 human deaths from the virus, and practically none in more than a year.
The Indonesian government has banned backyard poultry farms from residential areas in nine provinces.
The ban which previously applied to the capital city of Jakarta, West Java and Banten provinces, now also covers entire Java island, the world`s most densely-populated island, and beyond.
The government also placed tight restrictions on the movement and sale of poultry and poultry products across nine provinces, and is preparing more hospitals to treat people infected with H5N1 virus.
Most bird flu victims in the world had direct contact with sick fowl, but scientists fear the virus could mutate into a form easily transmitted between humans, sparking global pandemic that could kill millions. (*)<!-- google_ad_section_end -->
With a high population density and an area covering 18,000 square kilometers, efforts to immediately curb the spread of the H5N1 virus which is responsible for bird flu or avian influenza is very necessary, Central Jakarta Mayor Muhayat said in a statement made available here Sunday.
"Today bird flu infection has nearly reached the third stage, namely from poultry to people. Jakarta will face a big disaster if bird flu infection is in its fourth stage, namely, from humans to humans," he said.
In the statement, Muhayat said that current efforts to curb the spread of the deadly bird flu virus in Central Jakarta are made for people only.
The community in Senen district conducted a depopulation of five species of poultry in Kramat Sentiong area on Sunday.
About 1,000 healthy chickens out of 5,000 registered chickens were culled in Kramat Sentiong and eaten after they were cooked.
Officials said last week the number of deaths from the bird flu in the country had reached 62.
The latest death was the 62nd in a total of 80 bird flu cases, and the fifth in 2007. Indonesia has the world`s highest death rate of the disease.
Vietnam had 42 human deaths from the virus, and practically none in more than a year.
The Indonesian government has banned backyard poultry farms from residential areas in nine provinces.
The ban which previously applied to the capital city of Jakarta, West Java and Banten provinces, now also covers entire Java island, the world`s most densely-populated island, and beyond.
The government also placed tight restrictions on the movement and sale of poultry and poultry products across nine provinces, and is preparing more hospitals to treat people infected with H5N1 virus.
Most bird flu victims in the world had direct contact with sick fowl, but scientists fear the virus could mutate into a form easily transmitted between humans, sparking global pandemic that could kill millions. (*)<!-- google_ad_section_end -->