Pigs Culled in Effort to Contain Bird Flu

Indonesia became the first known country to destroy pigs in an effort to contain the rapid spread of bird flu, which has killed at least 57 people across Asia since 2003 and devastated poultry stocks.

Plans to kill 200 swine, however, were sharply reduced as authorities wrangled over the best way to battle the disease. Eighteen pigs that tested positive for the H5N1 strain of the virus were killed on a farm in Tangerang, about 25 miles west of Jakarta.

Agriculture Minister Anton Apriyantono, who oversaw the culling, backed away from a pledge to destroy all pigs on affected farms, saying Indonesia now favors targeted culls, which global health experts support.