September 13, 2006

Indonesia culling 4,500 chickens to halt latest bird flu outbreak
 

Officials in Indonesia's West Java province have ordered an emergency cull of some 4,500 chickens to contain a new outbreak of the bird flu virus among poultry, a local official said Tuesday (Sep 12).

The H5N1 avian flu virus swept through two villages in West Java last week, killing around 1,500 chickens.

Officials said culling of poultry in those villages and surrounding areas began immediately last Saturday.

Bird flu cases in the popular province have tripled over the past year, affecting almost 63,000 birds this year.

Indonesia is the world's worst-affected country by bird flu, with possibly millions of bird infected in 29 of the country's 33 provinces.