Hundreds of Indonesians clad in protective gear fanned out across the bird-flu-hit capital of Jakarta on Friday hunting for sick fowl. This came as France confirmed the presence of a flu virus at a farm where thousands of turkeys have died.

Bird flu has spread rapidly across Europe this month, but so far it has only affected wild birds. Newly infected Nigeria, Egypt and India have also had major outbreaks in poultry.

If confirmed, the French case would mark the first time the H5N1 virus has spread to domestic fowl in the European Union and could deal a further blow to France's already battered poultry industry, worth € 6 billion (US$7 billion) a year.

In Jakarta about 600 inspectors sprayed disinfectant in bird cages and chicken coops across the city where backyard chickens are commonplace.

"We need co-operation from the people. In any case, we have to choose our own safety and the life of the people over that of the fowls and the singing birds," Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso said on Friday at the launch of the campaign to stamp out the virus.

Bird flu has killed at least 19 people in Indonesia, the second highest death toll in the world after Viet Nam, with the H5N1 virus present in 26 of the country's 33 provinces. Many of the human cases have been in or around the capital city.

Health workers launched their own clean-up campaign in western India after the country's first outbreak of bird flu.

Health officials said fears of human infections were easing as 11 of the 12 people quarantined had tested negative for the H5N1 strain. The last sample had to undergo further tests to conclusively decide its status. The result was expected on Saturday.

Two more people have been quarantined, including a veterinary worker involved in the culling of chickens in Navapur town in Maharashtra state where India's first H5N1 outbreak among chickens was confirmed last week.

Europe is preparing for more cases of H5N1 as the spring migration season approaches and new species, possibly already infected, arrive from Africa.

Cambodia said on Friday bird flu had returned after the virus was found in dead ducks near the border with Viet Nam.

(China Daily February 25, 2006)