Jakarta, September 23:

Indonesia should immediately slaughter poultry in the areas affected by bird flu and set aside more funds to fight the virus to stop it from developing into a human pandemic, the United Nations said today. Four people have been killed by bird flu in Indonesia since July, and two other recent fatalities are being investigated. Tests have confirmed that a five-year-old girl who died earlier this week did not have the virus as was originally feared, the health minister said.

A further 22 people showing symptoms of the disease are also under observation in hospitals around the country, according to the health ministry. Seventeen of them are in Jakarta’s infectious disease hospital, but the health of all of the patients is improving, said Dr Ilham Batu.

“In view of the worrying situation, it is necessary for the government to improve its virus control policies and strategies,” Joseph Domenech, the head vet for the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, said in a statement. The government — accused of responding slowly to the outbreak — has in recent days stepped up efforts to curtail its spread. It fired the country’s chief of animal health control, said it planned to cull chickens in infected areas, and threatened to forcefully hospitalise anyone showing symptoms of the disease.

Teams of scientists from the United States and Japan are helping the government investigate the current outbreak, said Welfare Minister Elwi Shihab. “We have the highest confidence in the ability and energy of the government of Indonesia to work on this problem,” US Ambassador to Indonesia B Lynn Pascoe said after meeting with Shihab.