Bird flu spreading in East Lampung

Bandarlampung, Lampung Province (ANTARA News) - Bird flu is on the rise in East Lampung, prompting local authorities to order back-yard farmers to keep their chickens inside their coops.
The avian influenza virus had spread in eight sub districts in East Lampung District, head of the Participatory Disease Surveillance (PDS) team Dewanto said here on Wednesday.
In early February, the virus was detected in six sub districts, but at present it had infected poultry in 12 villages in eight sub district, according to Dewanto.
"It`s possible that the poultry spread to other sub districts. We will go into the field to check on it and collect information from the villagers," he said.
Among sub districts affected by bird flu virus were Batanghari, Way Jepara, Metro Kibang, Sukadana, Sekampung and Purbolinggo, he said.
He said most local farmers were opposed to the culling of poultry to be carried out in infected areas in efforts to stop the spread of the deadly disease. So the PDS team suggested the order of keeping poultry in their coops and they would be culled if they were roaming around, he said.
East Lampung District, Central Lampung District and Bandarlampung have seen several bird flu outbreaks over the past few years.(*) END

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