November 2, 2005

Indonesia to form joint surveillance team against bird flu

Indonesia's agriculture minister Anton Apriyantono said a joint surveillance team for wild birds would be formed. This followed the discovery of a domestically bred pigeon in Bekasi city in Jakarta's eastern outskirts, which was infected with the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu.

Since July, there have been seven reported human cases of bird flu in Indonesia, four of whom died. The three survivors have now almost recovered.

Apriyantono said the agriculture, environment and forestry ministries would conduct the joint surveillance. He added that wild and pet birds such as pigeons were suspected carriers of bird flu.

While Apriyantono did not give a time line for the task force, he said routes of migratory birds would be investigated, along with domestically bred pigeons.

A UN Food and Agriculture Organization team was expected in Indonesia later this month, to conduct house-to-house searches for identifying bird-flu areas.