Poultry markets major source of bird flu, govt says

The Jakarta Post 11/22/2008 9:07 AM

The government has warned of an increase in bird flu cases across Java, saying the deadly virus may have already infected 50 percent of poultry sold at markets throughout Jakarta, Banten and West Java.

There was a “strong indication” that poultry markets across western Java were affected, the National Committee for Bird Flu Control and Pandemic Preparedness said Friday.

Committee executive director Bayu Krisnamurthi said the government would focus its efforts on the management of markets in the affected areas, in an effort to stop the virus spreading.

Flouting of market regulations could give rise to a new main source of bird-to-human infections, he added.

“Markets with no zoning, in which the required three separate zones — for poultry pens, slaughterhouses and retail outlets — are not implemented, could pose higher risks of becoming a source of infections, as could markets using the same facilities for multiple species,” Bayu said.

He was speaking on the sidelines of a bird flu discussion between the Indonesian government and its international partners.

“Our discussion today highlighted the need to focus on live bird markets in dealing with bird flu. The national committee and international institutions will therefore intensify efforts to manage these markets,” he said.

He added since the H5N1 virus was first detected in humans in Indonesia in 2005, most bird-to-human infections were found to have stemmed from traditional methods of rearing poultry at home, with fewer cases caused by contact with poultry in markets.

Live poultry markets, however, were a proven threat in the spread of the virus, Bayu warned, citing a May 2006 case in Karo regency, North Sumatra, which killed six residents.

An anti-bird flu campaign at poultry markets was launched in early 2007, with market operators told to organize their poultry sections into the three separate zones as required.

However, the call got a hostile reception from local authorities and market operators — the parties authorized to manage the markets, Bayu pointed out.

“They’re worried about the economic impact of the move. How will it affect the income of sellers? What about its impact on poultry suppliers?

“The bird flu issue is a complicated matter. We have to take note of cultural and socioeconomic factors when dealing with it,” he said.

The number of bird-to-bird and bird-to-human infections have declined in the country since 2007. As of October this year, there have been 112 deaths from 137 recorded infections. Just recently, 17 suspected bird flu patients, hospitalized in the South Sulawesi capital of Makassar, were cleared of having the virus.

Despite the drop in infection numbers, a bird flu pandemic still threatens the country. Friday’s meeting was held to prepare for such a contingency.

In attendance at the meeting were representatives from the Health Ministry, the Agriculture Ministry, the WHO, the FAO, UNICEF, the ILO, USAID, AUSAID and Germany’s Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ).

The GTZ, in cooperation with the National Education Ministry, is developing modules for a bird flu awareness campaign in elementary schools, aimed at increasing public awareness of the virus.

Contrary to an earlier report in The Jakarta Post, the Health Ministry was not involved in this school campaign.