The deadly disease had reached Koto Majidin village in Ar Hangat subdistrict and six other villages in two subdistricts that had previously been confirmed infected, they said.
Speaking to ANTARA here Thursday, Soni, a 20-year-old resident, said he had so far lost 10 chickens that had suddenly died.
"My ten chickens suddenly died recently. I am afraid it was bird flu that killed them," said the Kerinci district resident.
Some other residents also lost their chickens and ducks, he said adding that he had reported the happening to local health and veterinary authorities.
A spokesman of the Kerinci district veterinary office, Aryan, said veterinarians would be immediately be deployed to the affected villages.
Indonesia has 33 provinces. Only three have been confirmed free from the bird flu threat.
Indonesia has been plagued by bird flu since 2005. However, the H5N1 type influenza is also known to have attacked chickens and birds in other Asian countries, such as Thailand, Cambodia, China, and Vietnam.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), avian influenza or "bird flu" is a contagious disease among animals caused by a virus that normally infects only birds and, less commonly, pigs.
WHO has warned that avian influenza can spread very rapidly in a poultry or fowl population.
Over the past three weeks of January 2011, bird flu has also infected chickens in Mugirejo village, Sungai Pinang subdistrict, in Samarinda, East Kalimantan.
According to a veterinarian in West Java, the bird flu virus attacking Indonesia was classified as "highly pathogenic avian influenza" (HPAI). (*)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
