Indonesia plans bird flu campaign

Indonesia, one of the countries hit hardest by avian influenza, hopes an education campaign will slow the spread of the disease.

On Monday, a senior health official said that there have been no cases of the virus being spread human to human, Antara News Service reported. So far there have been 62 confirmed cases of avian influenza in humans in the country, with 47 deaths.

I Nyoman Kkandun, who is in charge of contagious diseases for the ministry of health, toured two villages where the disease is endemic in Garut, West Java, and visited a hospital.

Bayu Krishnamurti, secretary general of the National Commission for Bird Flu Control and Preparations against Pandemic, said the government is looking for private partners in the education campaign, the report said.

"We have already made efforts, but bird flu cases still remain. What we can do now is making the people more aware of the threat of the virus," he said.

Copyright 2006 by United Press International

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