Bird flu found in pigs in Bali
Pastor Dale Morgan
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*Bird flu found in pigs in Bali*
From correspondents in Jakarta
October 09, 2006 08:16pm
Article from: Reuters
THE H5N1 bird flu virus has infected pigs on the Indonesian island of
Bali, a senior agriculture ministry official said today.
"There were two pigs that were infected by bird flu in Bali. These were
old cases that happened last July," Musni Suatmodjo, agriculture
ministry director of animal health,said.
Koran Tempo newspaper had reported on the weekend that a team from the
veterinary faculty at Udayana University had discovered avian influenza
infected two pigs in the regencies of Gianyar and Tabanan in Bali.
It was not clear if the pigs died.
Pigs are a concern because they are susceptible to many of the viruses
that infect humans. Swines can act as mixing vessels in which genetic
material from avian flu viruses can mix with human influenza viruses,
potentially producing new and deadly strains for which humans have no
immunity.
I Gusti Putu Suwandi, head of the Tabanan agriculture office, said there
have not been new cases of avian influenza in the area since July.
"As for the pigs' cases, we haven't received a formal report of the
finding from the university," Mr Suwandi said.
The agriculture ministry's Suatmodjo said bird flu had been detected in
30 out of 33 provinces in the country, with the latest cases in North
Sulawesi province.
He said that although that was an increase from 29 provinces last year,
the percentage of deaths in poultry was lower thanks to better
vaccination and other control measures.
"The number of death cases in poultry due to bird flu were relatively
small as commercial farms have done proper vaccination and biosecurity,
but the main problems remain on the backyard farms," Mr Suatmodjo said,
referring to the many Indonesians who keep a handful of chickens at
their homes.
Indonesia has become one of the frontlines in the battle against the
disease. So far, 52 people have died of bird flu, the highest of any
country, with the majority of deaths occurring since the beginning of
this year.
Worldwide, 148 people have died of bird flu since 2003.
Although the human death toll has climbed, the Indonesian Government has
resisted mass culling of birds, citing the expense and impracticality in
a huge, populous country where keeping a few chickens or ducks in
backyards is common.
Culling at selective farms and their immediate surroundings has been the
preferred method.