Indonesian province to be bird-flu free by 2012

The Indonesian province of South Kalimantan remained prone to the attacks of bird flu but it would be free from the deadly virus by 2012.

Head of the province's veterinary office Serafina Ariani said that in reaching the target, measures have been taken to urge local chicken breeders to maintain bio-security around breeding complexes and tightening control of chicken transportation.

Bird flu began attacking chickens in the province in 2004 which continued up to 2005, Ariani noted.

However, by the end of 2009, bird flu re-emerged in five districts: Tanah Laut, Banjar, Barito Kuala Hulu Sungai Tengah and Banjarbaru. Thousands of chickens were culled as a result to curb the virus spread.

A veterinarian in West Java town of Garut said the strain of bird flu attacking Indonesia was classified as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).

In the West Java district of Garut alone, there were at least 75 cases of HPAI between 2006 and 2010 in which more than 2,893 chickens suddenly died, according to reports.

In 2007, backyard chickens were banned in the capital Jakarta and authorities announced plans to relocate poultry farms and slaughterhouses from the city by April this year.

Meanwhile, Indonesia stopped announcing individual cases of bird flu last year and the country has been criticised for refusing to share virus specimens, arguing that the current global virus-sharing system under WHO was unfair because poor countries benefited little from vaccine produced by foreign companies.