Some 50 poultry were culled in Bangkalan, Madura Island, East Java Province, following a finding of bird flu virus infection in the area recently, ANTARA reported. "The poultry culling is aimed at stopping the bird flu virus from spreading to wider areas," Head of the Bangkalan Health Service Dr. Fahrurrozi said here on Thursday. Bangkalan District Head Fuad Amin Imron has called for efforts to control bird flu virus by culling poultry within a radius of 100 meters from the location where the bird flu infection was detected earlier. There is no human infected with bird flu virus in Bangkalan so far, but the district has intensified surveillance by spraying disinfectant in poultry breeding areas and launching a public awareness campaign on the deadly disease. The local administration has provided compensation worth Rp40,000 for each animal being culled. A total of 10 nations have detected outbreaks of the animal disease in humans. Indonesia has verified more human cases of H5N1 infection than any other country in 2006. Of arund 80 cases confirmed in Indonesia, 62 have been fatal. -- SPA
