Dozens Dead in Jember Chicken Bird Flu Positive

October 31, 2011 20:38:03
Jember - Dozens of chickens that died suddenly at Dusun Karang Baru, the village of Shiloh, Shiloh District, Jember, tested positive for bird flu virus or "avian influenza" (AI).

Camat Silo, Heru Sunarso said Monday, dozens of chickens that died suddenly had been examined in the laboratory and the results tested positive for bird flu.

"After data collection, the number of chickens positive bird flu virus as much as 76 tails of the 17 heads of households who raise chickens in the hamlet of Dusun Karang Baru," he said.

According to him, the citizens immediately destroy chickens positive bird flu virus, so as not to infect other birds in the local village.

"Animal Husbandry and Fishery Officers Jember been spraying disinfectants against poultry cages around the scene to anticipate the spread of avian influenza virus of fowl citizens," he explained.

In addition to officers of Animal Husbandry and Fisheries, he continued, Health Department officials also took to the site to monitor whether there are people who contracted the bird flu virus.

"There are five local residents who complained of flu at the time of the incident, but three of them had recovered and two were still undergoing outpatient treatment. Hopefully they just tekena common cold," he said hopefully.

Heru appealed to citizens to remain vigilant and to anticipate the increasing cleanliness and spraying of poultry cages on a regular basis.

"I have instructed the head of the village and hamlet heads to immediately report, if there are chickens died suddenly. Dinkes officers also distribute masks to residents in the surrounding scene," he added.

While Jember Health Office of Public Relations, Yumarlis, said officials had taken samples of nasal and throat swabs of five citizens of Dusun Karang Baru Hamlet who has the flu around the scene.

"The samples will be examined in the laboratory of Health Department of East Java provincial government to ascertain whether the five residents were infected with bird flu virus (H5N1) or not," he said.