Fighting bird flu with RFID technology<\/p>\n
Adi Tedjasaputra, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The fear of bird flu or Avian Influenza epidemic in Indonesia is
\nrecently escalating to an alarming level for most Indonesians.
\nPeople are anxious about the possibility of virus transmission
\nfrom human to human that may create an epidemic, or even a
\npandemic.<\/p>\n
The first known case of human infection was recorded in Hong
\nKong in 1997, when Avian influenza A (H5N1) infected both poultry
\nand humans.<\/p>\n
At that time, the authorities managed to kill about 1.5
\nmillion of chickens to contain the bird flu outbreak. After that,
\nseveral other similar cases were reported across Asia, including
\nChina, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Even though it's too late for Indonesia to start a national
\npandemic preparedness plan to control the bird flu outbreak, as
\nsuggested by World Health Organization (WHO), it would be better
\nto do it late than never.<\/p>\n
Through some lessons were learned during Severe Acute
\nRespiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza
\n(HPAI) outbreaks, WHO suggests a preparedness checklist to
\nprevent or minimize human morbidity and mortality, social
\ndisruption and economic consequences. (Source: WHO checklist for
\ninfluenza pandemic preparedness planning --
\nWHO\/CDS\/CSR\/GIP\/2005.4, Department of Communicable Disease,
\nSurveillance and Response, Global Influenza Programme, World
\nHealth Organization)<\/p>\n
The checklist, which is intended to be comprehensive, contains
\nseveral elements, such as: preparing for emergency, surveillance,
\ncase investigation and treatment, and preventing spread of
\ndisease in the community.<\/p>\n
For the element of surveillance, technology such as RFID
\n(Radio Frequency Identification) could be very useful.<\/p>\n
RFID is a wireless automatic identification technology that
\nhas been around for many years. The technology can be used to
\ntrack livestock, including poultry, as well as human beings.<\/p>\n
Due to its promising capability in livestock tracking, the
\nThai government recently considered the adoption of RFID
\ntechnology for its poultry identification program in connection
\nwith the bird flu outbreak.<\/p>\n
One of the advantages in using RFID is the ability to track
\nthe movement of livestock or human beings without interrupting
\nany normal activities. The tracking data can be fed automatically
\nto any database systems for further analysis. In the event of any
\nemergency situation it would be possible to trace back the
\nhistory stored in a database.<\/p>\n
In 2003, a scenario of applying an RFID-based tracking system
\nduring the SARS outbreak was demonstrated in two Singapore
\nhospitals. During the trial, the movement of people in the
\nhospitals can be recorded.<\/p>\n
If the government can use the RFID technology, it is hoped
\nthat the technology can provide a quick response in fighting the
\nbird flu outbreak.<\/p>\n
The writer is IT and user experience manager at TRANSLATE-EASY, a
\ncompany that provides RFID and human-centered design solutions.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/fighting-bird-flu-with-rfid-technology-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}