November 24, 2005

Chickens test positive for bird flu in Indonesia's Aceh
 

Hundreds of chickens in Indonesia's tsunami-ravaged Aceh province have died of bird flu, the country's agriculture ministry said Thursday.

Chickens have been infected with the H5N1 strain of the virus in at least three districts of the province, said Sjamsul Bahri, the Agriculture Ministry's director of animal health.

"Hundreds of chickens have died," he said.

Bird flu has killed hundreds of millions of birds in Asia since 2003 and has jumped to humans, resulting in the deaths of at least 67 people.

Experts have warned that the virus may mutate into a form that is easily passed between people and trigger a pandemic that could kill millions globally.

Bahri said bird flu has now been found in 23 of Indonesia's 30 provinces.

But its emergence in Aceh - where tens of thousands of people still live in crowded refugee camps following last year's Dec 26 tsunami - is especially worrisome.