At least 134 people have died worldwide since the disease began spreading in Asia in late 2003. Most human cases have been linked to contact with infected birds.
"We have to control it in animals because the transmission is not human-to-human," says Douglas Klaucke, of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who recently met with Aprianti and Dewi's surveillance team. "The transmission is coming from the animals."
LOCAL INPUT
While Vietnam's mass poultry slaughter helped nip the threat there, circumstances are very different in Indonesia. Vietnam has a strong centralized government, but the power to fight bird flu in Indonesia lies largely at local level. Jakarta's recommendations mean little unless community officials are on board.
The surveillance and response teams can reach those leaders by empowering local vets to work directly with backyard farmers.
"Through this ... early detection can be improved and response can be improved," said Elly Sudiana, who oversees the program for the Ministry of Agriculture.
MORE MONEY NEEDED
So far, the program has received more than US$8 million from international donors, but the FAO has said it needs at least US$50 million for a nationwide system.
"It's making a huge difference," said Lisa Kramer of the US Agency for International Development. "It's a great way to get information out for prevention and a great way to understand how disease is moving through communities and a great way to control it and to contain it."
More help is expected soon, but for now, Aprianti and Dewi are covering 440 villages over an area of about 2,000km2. They ride motorbikes between villages and rely on text messages and calls to their mobile phones to direct them to bird die-offs.
There are an estimated 10 million poultry in their territory, roughly half of them in backyards.
In Cangkurah, the women follow a trail of empty coops looking for birds to confirm their suspicions that H5N1 has struck. But they're too late, and their clues hit a dead end near a rice field and a textile factory. But their efforts weren't fruitless. They spread the word about the dangers of bird flu, passed out their business cards and gathered more tips to check out.
"They say, `I'm glad you're here because we know more about this disease,'" Dewi says, smiling. "They change their opinion about raising chickens."
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