BIRD FLU KILLS OVER ONE HUNDRED CHICKENS IN INDRAMAYU

Indramayu, West Java, Jan. 18 (ANTARA) - Some 158 chickens died of bird flu in eight villages in Indramayu District, from January 5 to 15, 2010.

The affected villages were Tersana (Sukagumiwang sub district), Jatisawit (Jatibarang sub district), Cikawung (Terisi sub district), Dukuh (Indramayu sub district), Sliyeg Lor (Sliyeg sub district), Juntinyuat, Nunuk (Lelea sub district), and Baleraja (Gantar sub district).

"Indramayu is indeed a bird flu endemic area," Nandang Hidayat, head of the animal husbandry unit of the Indramayu district's animal husbandry and agriculture services, said here on Monday.

One of the factors which triggered the bird flu (H5N1) virus was weather. H5N1 virus could breed easily in cold rainy season from December to March, he said.

In 2009, bird flu virus affected 30 villages in 17 sub districts, and killed 1,025 chickens in Indramayu.