Govt to send in Army for bird flu battle<\/p>\n
Muninggar Sri Saraswati and Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The increasing number of birth flu deaths in the country is
\nprompting the government to deploy troops and volunteers to
\nconduct door-to-door checks to find fowls infected with the
\nvirus.<\/p>\n
The search would first be concentrated in Greater Jakarta and
\nareas deemed \"difficult\" for officials to detect the avian
\ninfluenza virus, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on
\nMonday.<\/p>\n
\"We have to address this problem quickly. There should be a
\ndoor-to-door inspection by volunteers, university students and
\nmilitary personnel to ensure the areas are clear from bird flu,\"
\nSusilo said.<\/p>\n
Technical implementation would be discussed further with local
\nadministrations, he said, with the government trying to avoid
\nviolating the autonomy law.<\/p>\n
\"We should not (however) underestimate this problem. There
\nmust be an intensive campaign to make the public aware of the
\nvirus,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The bird flu virus has killed at least 64 people in Asia since
\nthe end of 2003 and was detected in Eastern Europe last month. In
\nIndonesia alone, nine people are confirmed to have contracted the
\nvirus in the past 10 months, with five of them dying. Two more
\nsuspected fatalities will be confirmed by the World Health
\nOrganization laboratory in Hong Kong this month.<\/p>\n
Susilo said the Greater Jakarta had become the government's
\ninitial focus because four of the five people who died of bird
\nflu had lived in the area.<\/p>\n
He dismissed criticism of the government's slow response in
\ncontaining the outbreak. The international community had praised
\nIndonesia's efforts addressing the problem, considering its
\nlimited financial resources, Susilo said.<\/p>\n
Despite an unspecified financial offer by World Bank President
\nPaul Wolfowitz to help Indonesia conduct a mass cull, Susilo said
\n\"stamping out (the disease) would not be easy as it would need
\nbillions of rupiah\".<\/p>\n
According to a report from the United Nation's Food and
\nAgriculture Organization (FAO), 30 million village households in
\nIndonesia are keeping around 200 million chickens, excluding wild
\nbirds, increasing the risk for a deadly pandemic.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Minister of Health Siti Fadilah Supari said the
\ngovernment also planned to vaccinate 40 million children against
\nseasonal cold and influenza viruses, in order to reduce their
\nrisk of infection.<\/p>\n
\"We are planning to increase the production of an upgraded flu
\nvaccine, which will be sold at a cheaper price. This is to help
\nprevent people suffering from a common flu from getting the avian
\ninfluenza virus,\" she said.<\/p>\n
She added the government planned to increase the country's
\nstocks of flu medicines, including Tamiflu and Relenza, from
\n750,000 pills to about 20 million.<\/p>\n
The government's plan to contain bird flu:<\/p>\n
1. Deploying troops and volunteers to conduct door-to-door
\nsearches for infected poultry.<\/p>\n
2. Forming a special desk at the Office of the Coordinating
\nMinister for the People's Welfare, which will be tasked with
\nmonitoring the development of the outbreak in the country around
\nthe clock.<\/p>\n
3. A national campaign on bird flu aimed at increasing public
\nawareness about the dangers and symptoms of the virus.
\n4. Increasing the supply of influenza vaccines and pills from the
\ncurrent 750,000 to 20 million and starting negotiations with
\noverseas producers.<\/p>\n
5. Ordering state pharmaceutical firm PT Bio Farma to produce the
\nvaccines.<\/p>\n
6. Vaccinating some 40 million children above five years old from
\nseasonal influenza.<\/p>\n
7. Improving cooperation between the government and local
\nadministrations in containing the avian influenza and educating
\nthe public.<\/p>\n
8. Providing enough protective equipment for hospitals.<\/p>\n
9. Raising next year's allocated fund for bird flu containment.
\nBased on the 2006 state budget, the Ministry of Agriculture and
\nthe Ministry of Health will receive Rp 200 billion (US$20
\nmillion) and Rp 150 billion, respectively, next year.<\/p>\n
10. Seeking overseas grants for financing the virus' containment.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/govt-to-send-in-army-for-bird-flu-battle-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }