Living in chicken sheds

Merlin, the British medical aid charity working in the earthquake zone in Java, has warned of disease risks to survivors taking shelter in chicken sheds.

Dr Yolanda Bayugo, Merlin's health director in Indonesia, raised concerns today with the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization in Yogyakarta and has asked for more tents to be supplied.

"We are concerned that people using poultry sheds as shelter are at risk from avian flu and salmonella," said Dr Bayugo.

"In Pundong sub-district of Bantul, where about 35,000 people are homeless, we found more than 100 people taking shelter in six large poultry sheds," she continued. "The sheds, built from bamboo, are each about 200 metres long and are the only surviving structures in the area. One shed was new and had not yet been used to keep chickens. Others, which had been cleared recently, were only partially cleaned and still had chicken droppings lying on bamboo slats."

The avian flu virus is known to be present in poultry farms across Java and can be spread through contact with fresh or dried chicken droppings. Last year, the World Health Organization identified the virus in parts of Java now affected by the earthquake.1There were no reported cases in Pundong, but it was identified in Yogyakarta, Sleman and Klaten districts.

The virus has claimed the lives of 36 people in Indonesia since the beginning of 2005. Last month, an outbreak on the neighbouring island of Sumatra, killed six people.

British nurse Paula Sansom, who is leading Merlin's emergency response team, said: "It's tragic that people who have lost their homes have no option but to take shelter in places where they could catch a deadly virus. In such over-crowded conditions the risk of contamination with avian flu and salmonella will increase."

"We have requested that the supply of tents is prioritised for people in these communities," she continued. "Where poultry sheds are the only means of shelter, Merlin is helping affected families to clean the sites properly and follow appropriate hygiene precautions."

Merlin arrived in the Yogyakarta region on Sunday - a day after the 6.3 magnitude earthquake killed more than 6,000 people and left around 200,000 homeless. The team has been operating mobile clinics in the Bantul area and distributing emergency medical supplies, including intravenous fluids, antibiotics and water purification tablets.

For more information, contact: Jacqueline Koch Merlin Indonesia Mobile: +62 (0)813 813 11 436 comms@merlin-indonesia.org

Jonathan Pearce Head of Communications, Merlin London Office: +44 (0)20 7014 1701 jonathan.pearce@merlin.org.uk

Ju-Lin Tan Senior Communications Officer, Merlin London Office: +44 (0)20 7014 1702 ju-lin.tan@merlin.org.uk

Out of office hours: +44 (0)7092 382 421

Notes 1. Communicable Diseases, risks and interventions. Indonesia earthquake-affected areas, 2006, May 31, 2006

Photographs are available on request.

Merlin is the only specialist UK charity which responds worldwide with vital health care and medical relief for vulnerable people caught up in natural disasters, conflict, disease and health system collapse.

[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]