- Laboratory tests on blood samples from
4 dead chickens and one ailing chicken in Batam have shown that they carried
the bird-flu virus, a local government official said here on Saturday [11
Mar 2006].
-
- Jusak, an official of the local marine
resources, fisheries and agricultural service, said the discovery meant
that the deadly disease had already reached Batam, the country's oldest
industrialized zone.
-
- He said that how the virus had come to
Batam was still unknown but that it was believed the source of the infection
was wild birds.
-
- The blood sample from a sick chicken
in Kampung Tiban Koperasi in Sekupang had also tested positive for the
H5N1 virus.
-
- In view of the discoveries, Jusak said
his office had called on all parties, particularly poultry farmers, to
increase cleanliness at their farms.
-
- "Fortunately, until now, the virus
has not claimed any human life here. But we have to be alert to the danger,"
he said.
-
- ProMED-mail promed@promedmail.org
-
- (Batam is one of the islands in the Riau
Islands province of Indonesia, 415 sq/km, with about 600 000 inhabitants.
The island is located about 20 km south of Singapore, a mere one hour ferry
ride away; map at
- http://www.sijoriresort.com.sg/images/batam-map.jpg.
- Mod.AS)
-
-
- Patricia A. Doyle, DVM, PhD
- Bus Admin, Tropical Agricultural Economics
-
- Please visit my "Emerging Diseases"
message board at:
- http://www.clickitnews.com/ubbthreads/postlist.php?
- Cat=&Board=emergingdiseases
-
- Also my new website:
- http://drpdoyle.tripod.com/
- Zhan le Devlesa tai sastimasa
- Go with God and in Good Health
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