Authorities slaughter chickens close to site of bird flu infection in

Jakarta

CHINA / Photo

Authorities slaughter chickens close to site of bird flu infection in
Jakarta

(AP)
Updated: 2005-11-25 15:09

Bird flu has been found in chickens throughout the Indonesian capital,
the agricultural minister said Friday as authorities slaughtered some 400
fowl close to the home of a young girl who died of the disease.

"It is very serious," said Anton Apriyantono. "Based on our research, the
virus has spread all over the city."

Bird flu has killed or forced the culling of hundreds of millions of
birds in Asia since 2003 and has jumped to humans, resulting in the
deaths of at least 67 people.

An Indonesian government official throws bird cages into fire during a
mass cull in Utankayu of East Jakarta November 25, 2005, where it has
been confirmed that a teenage girl died of bird flu earlier this month in
Jakarta. [Reuters]
In Indonesia, the H5N1 strain of the virus has been found in 23 of 30
provinces, and killed seven people. Unlike other countries, Indonesia
does not routinely cull birds, citing lack of funds.

But on Friday, authorities slaughtered about 400 chickens and other birds
in a residential area of Jakarta, close to the house of one of
Indonesia's latest human victims. Workers in protective masks slashed the
throats of the birds, and threw the carcasses on fire, along with coops
and cages.

Compensation was paid to people whose birds were slaughtered, officials
said.

Health experts are following the spread of the virus closely because they
fear it may mutate into a form that's easily passed between people and
trigger a pandemic, possibly killing millions globally.

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20071121-Zhang Extracted From http://www.hellomandarin.net