RI TO BE BIRD-FLU FREE BY 2014

Jakarta, Dec 17 (ANTARA) - Through the implementation of various activities under a program to manage High Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) , Indonesia is expected to be free from bird flu by 2014, an agricultural official said.
The Agriculture Ministry's director general of animal husbandry, Tjeppy D Soedjana, said here on Wednesday of 33 provinces across the country, only two were now bird-flu free, namely Gorontalo and North Maluku.
He said the number of bird-flu free provinces would be multiplied through a program to intensify efforts to reduce the poultry death rate.
"If the program runs well nationally, Indonesia is expected to be free from bird flu in 2014," Soedjana said, adding that West Kalimantan province would be free from bird flu by April 2009 and other provinces in Kalimantan were expected to follow later.
Data from Agriculture Ministry indicated that the bird flu virus during this year had spread to 294 districts in 31 provinces in Indonesia, causing the death of 46,014 poultry nation-wide.
The bird flu virus had spread more widely this year than during the past three years as it hit 158 districts/municipalities in 25 provinces, killing a total of 1,06 million poultry.
To prevent the spread of the bird flu virus to other animals, the government would in the period 2009-2011 intensify bird-flu fighting efforts in a number of regions in West Java, Jakarta and Banten, Central Java, Yogyakarta, South Sulawesi, Lampung, Bali, and parts of Sumatra.
Regions with a lower bird flu incidence rate were Maluku, Papua, West Papua, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara, Kalimantan, Bangka Belitung, Gorontalo, and North Maluku.
Theppy said the government from 2009-2011 would also progressively control HPAI in a bid to reduce the impact of bird flu cases on commercial poultry products and people's welfare.
He added that other efforts to prevent the spread of the bird flu virus was to mobilize tracker and HPAI quick response teams.