Bird flu detected on Indonesia's Lombok island, no human cases

2011-10-18 21:13:09 GMT+7 (ICT)

LOMBOK, INDONESIA (BNO NEWS) -- Indonesian health officials on Tuesday confirmed that bird flu has been detected in poultry on the island of Lombok, although no human cases of the disease have been reported.

Indonesian Health Minister Endang said that 30 provinces - among them, Lombok - are still bird flu endemic in poultry. He has urged local farmers to improve hygiene after the virus was detected on the island, which neighbors the country's resort island of Bali.

The only three provinces that health officials have identified as free of the disease are West Kalimantan, Gorontalo and North Maluku, the minister said, according to the Antara news agency. The bird flu or avian influenza problem continues to cause health issues with a human fatality death rate standing at between 70 to 80 percent.

However, only ten people have died of from the virus this year, which is a significant decrease compared to previous years. Nonetheless, in recent weeks, two children identified by their initials as WA, 10, and NRA, 5, from the Bangli District of Bali Province, have died of bird flu, which is also known as H5N1, at the Sanglah Hospital in Denpasar.

"We must wash our hands after touching poultry," Minister Endang underlined. "This simple thing is the most effective way to prevent influenza, including bird flu," she said, adding that other simple preventive measures include keeping poultry at a distance from humans and keeping children away from dead chickens.

The bird flu virus can be easily transmitted to humans. Three weeks ago, more than 1,000 chickens suddenly died at the island's Central Lombok District. It was later confirmed that bird flu had caused their deaths.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-10-18

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