Govt warned not to underestimate SARS outbreak<\/p>\n
Dewi Santoso, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The government is underestimating the possibility of a Severe
\nAcute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak, a health organization
\nsaid on Monday.<\/p>\n
Kartono Mohamad of the Indonesia Health Coalition said the
\ngovernment lacked anticipatory measures like other Asian
\ncountries had taken in dealing with the threat of the virus.<\/p>\n
\"It seems that instead of giving out warnings in airports,
\nseaports and customs areas, the government is just taking a wait-
\nand-see stance despite the potential of the threat,\" Kartono
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
A confirmed case of SARS in the southern city of Guangzhou,
\nChina was reported on Dec. 28, 2003. A 32-year-old man checked
\ninto a hospital on Dec. 20 with a headache and fever and was on
\nMonday declared the first case of SARS since July 2003.<\/p>\n
\"It's true that the World Health Organization (WHO) has
\nconfirmed that the virus is different from that previously
\nrecorded in November 2002. But it has discovered that the new
\nvirus is another kind of coronavirus which is also contagious.<\/p>\n
\"Thus, instead of just waiting for more news from the WHO, the
\ngovernment should start giving out warnings and information on
\nSARS, without exaggerating of course,\" said Kartono.<\/p>\n
He asserted that it did not matter whether or not the virus
\nwas the same strain as last year's SARS, because they both could
\nbe equally contagious and dangerous.<\/p>\n
\"The more dangerous thing is that if the virus is a mutant
\nstrain, then the effect could be more hazardous,\" he told The
\nJakarta Post.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Health's Director of Surveillance,
\nEpidemiology, Immunization and Health Indriyono, however, argued
\nthat health officials had since July 2003 been monitoring the
\ndevelopment of SARS.<\/p>\n
\"We have very close contacts with health officials in
\nSingapore, Taiwan and China on monitoring the development of the
\ncase so that should the case emerge, our country will be well-
\nprepared,\" said Indriyono.<\/p>\n
He said thus far the government had prepared 45 health offices
\nat airports and seaports across the country and appointed 38
\nhospitals, including Suliyanti Saroso Hospital for Infectious
\nDiseases in Sunter, North Jakarta, in anticipation of any such
\noutbreak.<\/p>\n
\"Let's pray and hope that it won't occur in our country,\" he
\nsaid, adding that if the case indeed hit the country, health
\nmasks would be given to health workers.<\/p>\n
The world's first case of SARS was recorded in November 2002
\nin Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong, China. Within months,
\nother Asian countries such as Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore
\nalso reported many cases of SARS, which prompted WHO to crack
\ndown hard on the flu-like ailment worldwide.<\/p>\n
In Indonesia, there were a few suspected cases of SARS, but no
\nconfirmed SARS cases were officially recorded. There was one
\nIndonesian, who came back from Taiwan after working there as a
\nhouse maid, suspected of having symptoms of SARS, but later was
\ndeclared free of SARS.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/govt-warned-not-to-underestimate-sars-outbreak-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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