Dozens Of Dead Task Forces In South Kalimantan, Ministry Of Health Intervenes To Investigate Its Involvement With Bird Flu

One poultry farmer cleans the poultry cage to prevent transmission of the bird flu virus. (ANTARA/HO-Diskominfo South Kalimantan)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Health is still investigating the connection between Avian Flu or H5N1 and the deaths of dozens of poultry in South Kalimantan (South Kalimantan). "What is in South Kalimantan, we are still checking whether the variant is really Avian Flu," said Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin at the Jakarta Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture (Kemenko PMK) Building, as reported by Antara, Tuesday, February 28. These checks are needed to ensure the source of transmission of the disease, as well as mitigation efforts that need to be carried out. "If later it is true (the Bird Flu), what we have checked is that the transmission is not from humans to humans, but from animals," he said. According to Budi, the Ministry of Health has collaborated with the Ministry of Agriculture to carry out surveillance of every case of poultry deaths in the regions. If the number of cases is significant, the Ministry of Agriculture will coordinate with the Ministry of Health for its prevention efforts. "We have issued a letter of cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture to ensure that if there are indications of significant poultry deaths, it will have to be coordinated with us later, because next it can be transmitted to humans," he said. According to Budi, the recent case of Avian Flu in Cambodia occurred due to the transmission from animals to humans. "Until now what has happened in Cambodia, all Bird Flu has occurred from animals to humans, not from humans to humans. Hopefully, it doesn't happen from humans to humans either," he said. Budi added that the focus of monitoring the Ministry of Health is currently on the incidence of significant animal deaths. "We have identified animals in a number of areas. If a lot of birds die, we will pursue them. That's what we are still double-checking with South Kalimantan, whether the variant is Bird Flu," he said.