Alarm Bells on Bird Flu

FOR more than 20 years, Juju Juriah, 53, has raised poultry on a plot of land near her home at Kukusan Village, Depok, West Java. However, as hers is not a large flock of birds, she takes no special preventive measures against the spread of disease, allowing the hens and ducks to roam freely in search of food.

In April, the Depok agriculture and fisheries agency burned dozens of Juju's birds. A month before, reports circulated that a number of her birds had died, and after being examined, the birds tested positive for bird flu, or avian influenza. Even so, this middle-aged woman responded to the finding with placid ambivalence. "It happens every year," she said, when Tempo met her last week.