Thousands of Dead Duck, Bird Flu Outbreak Threatens Sumatra Return

Wednesday, February 6, 2013 - 22:14
 H5N1 Clade 2.3.2 type (bird flu virus) again threatened West Sumatra. At least 1207 ducks died suddenly in the village of Kampung Lintang, Nagari Sunur, Sabaris Nan District, District Padangpariaman. .

Department of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Forestry Pariaman, directly fielded Participatory Disease Surveillance and Response (PDSR) or bird flu rapid response teams to deal with such cases. Next, the team conducted a genocide against 169 ducks belonging to one farmer.

"From the results of the rapid test performed officials, the dead ducks were positive for the bird flu virus," said Head of the Department of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Forestry Pariaman, Akhiruddin in Padangpariaman as reported by Reuters on Wednesday (06/02).

In the village, there are at least approximately 3,000 more owned by breeder ducks. The amount is at risk of contracting the virus because it is close to the area where the outbreak of the ducks that had been destroyed. Moreover, the pattern of farmers by releasing ducks into the rice paddies and some even throw duck carcass into the river, will also have an impact on the wider spread of the virus.

"We predict a radius of three kilometers, the virus can spread to other birds and is quite risky for the local people," said Head of Animal Care Department of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Forestry Pariaman, Dahlia.

He said there were six people duck farmers in the area. The average farmer has about 300 to 600 seeds. The ducks from four breeders of them, tested positive for the H5N1 clade 2.3.2, while the other two have not been affected.

Dahlia said, given the risks that can arise in such cases, it has been counseling the farmers not to release their ducks. He added that the government has prepared Pariaman district compensation for culled ducks, amounting to Rp 5,000 and Rp 10 thousand young ducks for duck that has been laying.

According to farmers, seed purchased from Payakumbuh duck. Breeder ducks buy seeds from two days at a price of Rp12 thousand per head. Dean was one of 169 duck breeders destroyed by Department of Agriculture officials and local farms. He admitted his hundreds of ducks died several days ago.

"After 11 days of the purchase of Payakumbuh, one duck died suddenly and before the remaining half destroyed," he said.

He said, no obvious signs before death the ducks. In the morning there were three to seven tails off, and noon to grow and some even died instantly as many as 30 individuals simultaneously, he added.

He added that before his ducks died suddenly, hundreds of ducks owned by other breeders within 300 meters from his dead first. Case ducks died suddenly in Padang Pariaman district is the case with the second largest number of poultry deaths in the thousands tails in West Sumatra.

Previous H5N1 virus causes sudden death in 1416 laying ducks belonging to several farmers in three different villages, in the District Lamposi Tigo Nagori (Latina) and the District of North Payakumbuh, Payakumbuh known on December 26, 2012.

"Sudden death in ducks in this area is similar to the incidence in Payakumbuh ducks in December last year, and can be presumed that the virus infecting ducks in Padang Pariaman was acquired from ducks from Payakumbuh," said Coordinator of Local Disease Control Centre (LDCC) or Centers for Disease Control Department of Animal Husbandry Veterinary Sumatra, Eni Haswita.

According to him, the cause of death in ducks was identified as H5N1 Clade 2.3.2 viruses that have never existed in Indonesia.

He said the results of the Central Veterinary Research through an examination of Molecular Biology of the virus H5N1 Clade 2.3.2 shows the eight different genes with H5N1 Clade 2.1.1, Clade Clade 2.1.2 and 2.1.3. This means that the virus is not the result of mutation of the H5N1 virus that already exist in Indonesia, but the introduction of a new virus.

"Between H5N1 Clade 2.3.2 with previous virus equally deadly to poultry and can potentially be transmitted to humans and the difference is H5N1 Clade 2.3.2 Virus has so far been reported to cause many deaths in ducks," he said.

Meanwhile, to prevent further spread, farmers who were in the vicinity of the outbreak of duck, should be more vigilant. They should not release their ducks in paddy fields or the environment. [*]  http://www.indonesiarayanews.com/news/kronik/02-06-2013-22-14/ribuan-itik-mati-wabah-flu-burung-kembali-ancam-sumbar?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter