JAKARTA: The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is recommending that Indonesia carry out blanket vaccination in districts which have high incidence of the bird flu virus in poultry.

The FAO believes the increase in vaccination coverage will reduce the circulation of the virus which is already present in 30 out of 33 provinces in Indonesia.

Despite measures taken to control the outbreak in the last three months, poultry and birds in Indonesia continue to be infected with the H5N1 virus.

More humans are also being infected.

Five human deaths since the start of the year brought the total number of fatalities in Indonesia to 63 - the highest in the world.

The gravity of the situation prompted Indonesian authorities to ban backyard fowl in the capital and two other neighbouring provinces which are considered the worst-hit areas.

However UN's Food and Agriculture Organization says that is not enough.

James J McGrane, Avian Influenza Control Programme, FAO Indonesia, said: "It must be taken into account with the other elements such as surveillance, reporting, ring vaccination, bio-security and raising awareness among the general population."

Dr McGrane, who is working closely with the Indonesian authorities, says more districts in Indonesia must be included in the surveillance and reporting programme.

The FAO is also advising Jakarta to take the fight to another level.

"There's also probably a need now to modify strategy in terms of applying wider blanket vaccination in districts that have a high incidence of disease in poultry. And that is a strategy which we will be discussing with the Ministry of Agriculture in the near future and we're hoping for additional committed resources in order to implement wider-scale vaccination programme," said Dr McGrane.

The FAO believes blanket vaccination will reduce the circulation of the virus, found mainly in Java, Lampung in Sumatra and the island of Bali.

Experts say there is no quick fix in the battling of the bird flu virus in Indonesia.

Banning backyard chickens is just a short-term measure. More time and effort will be needed to restructure Indonesia's poultry industry such as relocating commercial farms, slaughtering houses and bird markets away from residential areas.

All these, experts predict, may take at least three years to accomplish. - CNA/so