Posted 24 July 2006 @ 14:11
Updated 24 July 2006 @ 14:15
JAKARTA, 24 July 2006 - The huge territory and people's ignorance had hampered Indonesian health authorities' efforts to eliminate bird flu, Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla said here on Friday. Since the government launched massive efforts to combat the spread of the virus a few years ago, many chicken and bird traders and owners have been reluctant to kill their belongings which were found infected with the H5N1 virus, due to the lack of knowledge about the danger of virus and the consideration that about ten U.S. cents compensation for a poultry was too little.
The vice president said it was necessary for the country to take stern actions to fight bird flu and asked the people to be submissive to any orders from health authorities for eliminating the outbreak. Kalla called on the people to immediately slaughter their poultry when they were infected with the avian influenza virus. "We need stern acts. We ask all the people to stamp poultry ( infected with the virus). All must obey rules," he said.
Indonesia has recorded 42 human deaths from the virus. Earlier, the World Health Organization top official David Nabarro has said that the huge territory has hampered the bird flu eradication in Indonesia. Most of poultry in Indonesia is in back yard, which leads the virus to spread easily and difficult to control.
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