Indonesia to cull backyard chickens amid spike in bird flu cases

Indonesia to cull backyard chickens amid spike in bird flu cases

Indonesia will slaughter hundreds of thousands of backyard chickens over the next week in a bid to stem a surge in human deaths from the H5N1 virus, the health minister said Wednesday.

Siti Fadilah Supari said local governments will issue regulations banning the rearing of poultry in residential areas, signaling a more forceful approach in the nation worst hit by the virus, reports AP.

She said owners would receive compensation of just under US$1.50 (Ђ1.16) per bird, with the main focus of the cull in the capital, Jakarta, and densely populated areas to the west where most of Indonesia's human infections have occurred.