Indonesia is to slaughter about 200 pigs infected with the H5N1 virus where three people died following infection. The drive aims to target poultry and pigs within a radius of 3km from where the three victims died. Poultry and other domestic animals within the radius of 20km are to be tested for the virus and vaccinated.
Hari Priyono, of Indonesia’s Ministry of Agriculture, said: “The three family members who died of bird flu earlier this month lived in a Jakarta suburb and did not have any chickens, initially raising concerns that the virus might have been transmitted from one person to another – a theory that has since been largely discounted.”
The government is reportedly trying to garner funds worth around $9 million to eradicate the virus in the country. It also plans a ban on import of poultry and poultry products countries hit by avian flu.
