Jakarta (AsiaNews) – Indonesian authorities are planning to slaughter millions of birds in an attempt to stop the avian or bird flu outbreak that since January has affected some of the most populated provinces of the country.

Agriculture Minister Anton Apriantono confirmed that the H5N1 virus was found in West Java e south Sulawesi where, in the last two months, it has killed more than 18,000 and 26,000 chickens respectively. The Minister also announced that his ministry was banning all poultry sales in and from the two provinces to prevent the spread of the disease.

According to Musni Suatmodo, a West Java animal husbandry official, Cirebon, Subang, Sukabumi and Indramayu regencies (districts) are hardest hit. At least 1.6 million chickens in a population of 6 million have been infected, he said, affecting more animals than last year's outbreak.

Arifin Daud, deputy chief of the South Sulawesi Office of the Agriculture Ministry's Livestock Department, said that the government distributed 200,000 doses of a locally-manufactured vaccine to try and stop the disease from spreading. He explained that in his province infected birds flu were found in the regencies of Maros, Sidrap, Wajo, Pinrang, Soppeng and Parepare.

South Sulawesi Governor HM Amin Syam confirmed the death of 26,000 birds from the latest outbreak and ordered the slaughter of all infected poultry still alive.

Government sources have however said that the outbreak has not reached the provinces of West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara and Bali.

Unlike Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia, where 46 people died in 2003 as a result of an infection, Indonesians have so far been spared.

In a statement released on March 14 authorities announced that they have started taking prophylactic measures. As a precautionary step, they decided to slaughter half of the Territory's poultry stock (1.8 million animals).