Beyond the cages: protecting poultry and people in Surabaya through One Health surveillance

Standing amid stacked chicken cages and two steaming pots of hot water, Vicky recounts the story of his family business while passing processed chickens to his staff for delivery. “Our business was safe from the avian influenza outbreak in 2003,” he says. “We had nothing to worry about.” 

At the time, Vicky was just three years old, long before he joined the family business. But the lessons learned from the H5N1 outbreak – which spread across Asia, devastated poultry farms and killed millions of birds – continue to shape Indonesia’s vigilance against zoonotic diseases. That vigilance now extends to traditional markets like Tambahrejo, where Vicky’s stall is part of a new avian influenza surveillance effort. 

The One Health initiative – led by the Ministry of Health with support from animal, environmental and human-health partners, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) – was piloted in five cities from 28 July to 1 August 2025. The initiative aims to strengthen early detection and response to avian influenza and other zoonotic diseases at the animal–human interface. Surabaya, the capital of East Java and a major transit hub where poultry from across regions is transported, slaughtered and sold, was among the pilot locations. 

^{Vicky (25) has been running his family’s poultry stall at Tambahrejo Market in Surabaya since 2015, continuing the business his mother started more than forty years ago. (WHO/Fieni Aprilia)} 

Humans, animals and the shared environment 

At Tambahrejo Market, Vicky’s section keeps butchering and sales apart; however, elsewhere the lines can blur. In other corners, puddles, carcasses and piles of rubbish expose the risks that emerge when people, animals and their environment share the same crowded space. To track those risks, samples are collected from all three – human, animal and environmental sources – to detect early signs of avian influenza and other diseases. 

“The biggest challenge is when sellers refuse sampling,” says Tika Fiona Sari, an environmental health officer from Salatiga, Central Java, taking part in the sampling. “They are afraid that if the results are positive, customers won’t come back and their poultry won’t sell. Surveillance is a double-edged sword: it helps us detect outbreaks, but if cases are revealed, it can also threaten livelihoods.” 

^{Drh Romadhony Arif of the Surabaya City Food and Agriculture Agency carries specimens collected from Keputran Market during surveillance conducted at four in the morning to match the sellers’ schedule. (WHO/Fieni Aprilia)} 

This concern is shared by Drh Romadhony Arif of the Surabaya City Food and Agriculture Agency, who helped lead early-morning surveillance at Keputran Market, across town from Tambahrejo. “During busy hours, it’s especially difficult for traders if we take samples. We have to adjust to their schedules,” he explains.  

Despite these challenges, teams completed the surveillance successfully. A total of 53 human blood samples and three nose and throat swabs were collected, along with 106 poultry swabs and 46 environmental samples from vendor areas.  

“The One Health approach works well because coordination between human, environmental and animal laboratories is strong,” Drh Romadhony adds. “If there’s a suspected case of avian influenza, we already know the flow of action – from human health to environmental health to animal health.”  

Protecting communities, sustaining livelihoods 

Back at Tambahrejo, Vicky welcomed the surveillance visits. Years of experience have made him alert to signs of illness among his poultry. “If chickens die suddenly, we know it’s a disease and we must be alert,” he says. “My worry is fifty-fifty. We already follow cleanliness SOPs as best as we can. We are not a factory, but we try to keep the market as clean as possible.”

^{Surveillance teams document findings and collect samples during One Health surveillance in Surabaya’s poultry markets. (WHO/Fieni Aprilia)} 

Protecting communities while sustaining livelihoods is crucial. Surveillance detects risks early and guides action before outbreaks spread. The One Health approach connects human, animal and environmental health so responses are faster and coordination more effective. 

For Vicky and hundreds of others in Surabaya’s markets – and across Indonesia – keeping poultry and people safe is part of daily life. Their livelihoods depend on it, and so does the health of the communities around them. 

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This activity was led by the Ministry of Health, with technical assistance from WHO Indonesia and funding under the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework.  

Written by Fieni Aprilia, Digital Communication Officer, WHO Indonesia