February 10, 2004 JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) -- Indonesia said Tuesday that it will continue importing a bird flu vaccine from China, despite concerns it could be contaminated and contribute to the spread of the virus that has killed nearly 5 million Indonesian chickens.
Meanwhile, about 200 veterinarians protested in central Jakarta, urging passing motorists to eat more chicken and eggs to support the poultry industry, which the government has said could lose 1.2 million jobs because of bird flu.
"We're calling on the people not to be afraid. They should eat chicken as usual," said Muhamad Suryo, who wore a shirt emblazoned with a chicken holding an Indonesian flag and the words, "We're One. We're Safe. Eat Me."
Avian influenza has killed at least 19 people -- 14 in Vietnam and five in Thailand -- and prompted 10 governments in the region to slaughter 50 million chickens.
The World Health Organization and international animal health agencies have encouraged infected countries to combat the virus by culling infected flocks and implementing a targeted vaccination program.
But Indonesia has been criticized for being slow to embrace a culling program and importing a vaccine that local veterinarians said is of poor quality and could further spread the virus.
"We're concerned the vaccine could be contaminated," said Marthen Malole, a veterinary researcher at the Bogor Institute of Agriculture. "This vaccine could actually introduce a new form of the virus to Indonesia."
The government dismissed the criticism and said it would continue allowing PT Bio Farma to import the vaccine because there were too few companies able to produce it locally.
"There is no reason for the government to stop importing bird flu vaccine from China because it is fairly good, safe and cheap," said Sofyan Sudradjat, director of the Agriculture Ministry's animal husbandry division.
"The ministry will revoke the company's import license if there are complaints from poultry farmers or official research that shows the vaccine is below standard," he said.
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