Bandung (ANTARA) – The West Java Provincial Livestock and Food Security Service has implemented the “3 Fast” principle to prevent transmission of a new variant of the influenza virus that causes bird flu to poultry in its area.
“Animal health officials immediately responded to public reports with the ‘3 Quick’ principle, namely Quick Detection, Quick Report, and Quick Response according to the SOP for bird flu control,” said Head of the West Java Province Food Security and Livestock Service Arifin Soedjayana when contacted from Bandung, Wednesday.
He said that the agency is also intensifying outreach to the public and poultry breeders so that they immediately report to the animal health officer if they find sick or suddenly dead birds.
In addition, according to him, the agency is increasing coaching and mentoring activities for poultry farmers so that they implement biosecurity measures to prevent disease transmission in the livestock environment.
“Small and medium scale commercial poultry farms should implement 3 Zone Biosecurity as a simple, economical, practical and effective bissecurity pilot model,” said Arifin.
The West Java Province Food Security and Livestock Service Office also assists poultry farmers in carrying out the 3 Right AI Vaccinations, namely the Right Vaccines, the Right Repeat Programs, and the Right Vaccination Techniques.
Arifin said that Avian Influenza (AI) vaccination in ducks is recommended to use the AI vaccine Subtype H5N1 clade 2.3.2.
As for laying hens, according to him, it is recommended to use the AI clade 2.1.3 or clade 2.3.2 vaccine or the nationally produced clade 2.1.3 and clade 2.3.2 combination vaccine.
Arifin emphasized the importance of sanitation along the poultry marketing chain in order to break the chain of the spread of the virus that causes bird flu to poultry and minimize the risk of transmitting the virus to humans.
He appealed to the farming community to adopt a clean and healthy lifestyle, such as wearing a mask when handling live or dead poultry and washing hands and feet with soap and water after activities.
With regard to procuring day-old chicks, Arifin said breeders are advised to use chicks from farms that already have bird flu-free certificates.
In an effort to prevent the spread of bird flu, he continued, the Food Security and Animal Husbandry Office coordinates with the Health Service if there are findings of cases of transmission of a flu-like disease in residents around where cases of bird flu transmission in poultry have been found.
Head of Animal Health and Veterinary Society at the Food Security and Livestock Service Office of West Java Province, drh. Supriyanto said that so far no cases of transmission of the H5N1 influenza virus variant 2.3.4.4b have been found in Indonesia.
According to him, cases of bird flu detected in Cirebon and Cimahi did not occur due to infection with the new variant of the H5N1 influenza virus as it spread in Europe and America and Cambodia.
Nonetheless, animal health officials, poultry farmers and the public are asked to be vigilant about the spread of the new variant of the H5N1 influenza virus, considering that bird flu can cause mass death of poultry and disrupt the supply of meat and cause public health problems.
Also read:
DKI tightens supervision of poultry traffic to prevent bird flu
Ministry of Health: The risk of bird flu infection to humans is still low
