Thursday, March 20, 2008

Bali making maximum efforts to curb bird flu

Bali making maximum efforts to curb bird flu
Bali`s provincial administration is making maximum efforts in dealing with preventing and overcoming the spread of bird flu (avian influenza - AI) in its territory, Governor Dewa Beratha said.

Among the efforts was the preparation of existing laboratories including those of the Udayana University`s Medical Faculty and Sanglah General Hospital to prioritize the testing of blood of suspected bird flu sufferers, Beratha said here Wednesday.

The administration had also formed integrated bird flu mitigation teams and quick-response teams at district/municipal level.

In addition, the local government had also set up a coordinated team consisting of animal husbandry, public health, animal quarantine, FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) and veterinary service officers as well as AI surveillance units to curb the spread of AI in Bali, Beratha said.

The Bali administration had also banned the entry of fowl from other regions to minimize the possibility of being affected by AI outbreaks in other provinces, beratha said.