This United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) article describes farmers’ opinions about avian influenza and actions taken as a result of information for awareness and prevention campaigns on the island of Java, Indonesia. It describes a farmer whose flock of 1,000 chickens was destroyed due to avian influenza infection. He and his neighbours see the disease as an economic disadvantage rather than a public health threat, despite the fact, as stated in the article, that “...More than 90 Indonesians have been infected with the H5N1 bird flu virus, and about three-quarters of them have died. Particularly at risk are rural villagers who keep small backyard flocks of chickens and ducks to provide food and supplement their income... Indonesia has suffered a high human cost from avian influenza."


In a second interview, a shopkeeper with a backyard flock of chickens demonstrates his heightened level of awareness and speaks of his measures of protection, including disinfection procedures and flock vaccination. According to this article, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has implemented information for awareness and prevention campaigns and journalist training sessions in Java. It is also working with local communities on Participatory Learning and Action, or PLA, projects. Through these projects, community members create songs, dramas, and posters about bird flu prevention to which local people can relate. Community leaders also seek to ensure that their neighbours are taking action to stop the spread of avian influenza.


A kindergarten teacher, who participates in PLA activities, feels that doing so is a contribution to the economic future of her village."Yet many Indonesians still say they don’t know enough. In a recent independent audit of UNICEF’s campaign in Western Java, about half of those surveyed said they were not well informed about the virus. In addition, two-thirds of poultry farmers felt the risk of avian flu in their communities was small."


This document provides a link to a video of these interviews, which may be accessed online.