August 31, 2004

 

 

Indonesian Poultry Farms Hit By Mystery Illness
 

A mysterious disease has hit Indonesian poultry farms, and thousands of chickens have been killed in the past few days. Indonesian poultry farmers, still reeling from a bird flu outbreak, are worried that this disease could again wipe out their livelihood.

 

Farmers in Yogyakarta's Sleman regency say the problem has been aggravated by the fact that the surviving chickens are not breeding. The deaths of the chickens have already caused millions of rupiah in losses.

 

And the disease is spreading rapidly.

 

"The first outbreak occurred five days ago. The chickens looked fine in the morning, but they were dead later in the afternoon," Mr Anto, a farmer in Pakem, told The Jakarta Post.

 

Sick chickens first salivate, and show symptoms of diarrhoea. Then they die within hours, he said.

 

Five villages in Pakem district - Candibinangun, Harjobinagun, Pakembinangun, Purwobinagun and Hargobinangun - have been hit, said an official, Mr Kisno.

 

"In Hargobinangun alone, there are more than 1,000 households that breed chickens. Each has at least 15 chickens.'

 

The disease has struck as farmers struggle to overcome heavy losses from an outbreak of avian flu early this year.

 

"Bird flu had killed most of the farmers' chickens. And the new disease appeared right when the farmers started the poultry business all over again,' Mr Kisno said.

 

The head of the poultry division of Sleman agriculture agency, Mr Suwadi Azis, said his office had not received any reports from poultry farmers on the disease outbreak. But he said the symptoms indicated the outbreak could be Newcastle Disease.

 

"If that is the disease, we already have the vaccine to prevent its further spread," he said.