For poor, eating dead poultry is a calculated risk

In late January, five of the 10 chickens owned by Leng Lal, a subsistence rice farmer in Kratie province, suddenly died. Although Mr. Lal, 40, said he knew the dead birds might be dangerous and he should burn and bury the carcasses, he instructed his 8-year-old son to prepare the chickens to be cooked. A week after the family feasted on the dead poultry, the young boy and his 2-year-old sister started displaying symptoms of H5N1 avian influenza, or bird flu. … A public health campaign to teach villagers how to keep from spreading bird flu was launched across 10 provinces by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministry of Health at the end of January, just prior to the latest deaths. But, according to Koy Hout, director of Kratie’s agriculture department, educating villagers about the dangers of eating dead poultry can prove difficult, and many still try to bring their sick poultry to sell in the markets. “We are trying to spread the message, and importantly we are trying to ensure sick poultry is not sold to other people or at the market,” he said. “But people are conditioned by habit, and for a long time they may have eaten birds that are sick and it has not killed them, so why should they suddenly die now?” … Minister of Agriculture Ouk Rabun said Wednesday that Cambodia does not have a policy of paying compensation to farmers who lose their poultry due to H5N1. …

 Sek Odom and Simon Henderson
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/for-poor-eating-dead-poultry-is-a-calculated-risk-52076/