January 9, 2006

Indonesia budgets US$937 million against bird flu

Indonesia plans to spend US$937 million to fight bird flu over the next two years, and some of the money will go toward establishing surveillance stations at villages across the country, the welfare minister said Friday.

Indonesia is also planning a two-year pilot scheme involving vaccinating both humans and poultry in a region just north of the capital Jakarta that was home to the first of the country's 11 human fatalities, said Aburizal Bakrie.

Bakrie said the government had budgeted 9 trillion rupiah (US$937 million) to fight the disease over the next two years. The money was from foreign donors and the Indonesian budget, he said.

Bakrie said surveillance posts would be established at the village level across the country, but gave no more details.

Indonesia's Java island is considered a potential flash point because of its high density of chickens and people, health experts warn. The country was criticised for moving too slowly when bird flu first appeared in poultry stocks two years ago, but has promised in recent days to step up the fight.