新加坡印尼联手控制禽流感

Indonesian agreement targets poultry safety

By Neil Merrett

背景知识：新加坡衛生部長許文遠和印尼人民福利統籌部長巴克里今天在雅加達簽署諒解備忘錄，聯手推動控制禽流感疫情實驗計畫，參與這項計畫的還有美國和世界衛生組織等其他國際組織。

根據新加坡電子媒體發自雅加達的報導，根據這項備忘錄，新加坡將協助印尼落實這項計畫，以明確和集中的方式控制禽流感疫情。

在這項計畫之下，印尼將測試各種控制疫情方法的效果，並將獲得的知識運用在其他有疫情傳出的地區。

許文遠指出，這項計畫包括動物和人類的疫情監控策略、禽流感病人管理和動物的疾病控制，動物的疾病控制還包括家禽養殖場系統的改革與改組。

這項控制禽流感實驗計畫預計分三年推動，耗資四百五十萬美元，其中新加坡貢獻一百五十萬美元，提供專業技術和人力。

許文遠表示，實驗計畫的準備工作已經展開，在參與計畫中，新加坡人員將與印尼的醫生和科學家交流，同時提供培訓，這將加強雙方的研究實力。

許文遠並希望，新加坡也能從實驗計畫中受惠。

印尼是全球禽流感病例最嚴重的國家，截至目前為止共有九十五人染上禽流感，並有七十五人因而死亡，同時也影響全球禽流感的防疫工作

Singapore yesterday entered into an agreement with Indonesia to aid the country in stepping up measures to protect its poultry industry, which has been hit by an ongoing epidemic of avian influenza..

Under the memorandum of understanding, the countries will open a bird flu centre in Indonesia's Baten province. The cenre will focus on preventing further H5N1 outbreaks by acting on a more localised level.

Success for the project is vital forIndonesia'spoultryprocessors as growing concern over the presence ofavian influenzaentering the human food supply chain continues to affect sales.

The issue is also prevalent for the wider Asia Pacific region, with concerns that any future Indonesian outbreak could spread to their own flocks.

As such, the centre, which is part of a trilaterally funded $4.5m pilot project with the US, will aim to focus Indonesia's national bird flu strategy specifically at the local level.

Depending on its performance, further centres may later be rolled out throughout the country to ensure all regions are protected.

The announcement will also be welcomed by the World Health Organisation, which has previously criticised officials in the country for falling behind its Asian neighbours in preventing the spread of the disease.

According to estimates by Indonesian officials, 75 people have so far been killed in the country by avian influenza, leading to a dearth of confidence in the safety of the country's poultry production.

Besides the human cost, this decreased confidence has also been felt strongly within the poultry industry.

In a report by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) earlier this year, Indonesia's ongoing problems with avian influenza were found to be adversely affecting poultry meat sales.

"In spite of a safe chicken consumption campaign, media coverage of the avian influenza victims has caused severe declines in poultry consumption,"stated the report.  "People are afraid to consume poultry and are reportedly switching to beef, fish,tempe, and tofu as protein sources."

The USDA added that in January this year, broiler sales in Jakarta alone dropped by about 40 per cent to 50 per cent.