JEMBRANA

Health officials have called for vigilance after bird flu killed dozens of chickens in Jembrana last week.

At least 50 bird deaths were confirmed in the Pendem area, with staff of the Bali Animal Husbandry Department confirming that the bird flu was responsible for the mortality.

“We have conducted a rapid test on five surviving chickens and the test confirmed the presence of avian influenza,” said department head Putu Sumantra.

Sumantra added that his staff had culled surviving birds in the infected area, and sprayed the area with anti-viral chemicals.

“We have also alerted other regencies, informing them that the flu has come again, and we have asked them to start preventive measures,” he said.

Bali suffered a major outbreak of the disease, which can occasionally spread to humans, in 2009, with sporadic cases in the years since.