Managing SARS<\/p>\n
Initially, there were the usual official denials: Severe Acute
\nRespiratory Syndrome (SARS), the newest \"mystery\" disease to
\nthreaten the world, was not in Indonesia, public health officials
\nin Jakarta said. Ordinary Indonesians were skeptical from the
\nstart. The World Health Organization (WHO) announced the
\ndiscovery of the \"mystery disease\" in Hanoi, Vietnam, as early as
\nFeb. 26 while earlier cases were first recorded in southern
\nChina. From that moment on, similar cases emerged in rapid
\nsuccession in Hong Kong, Singapore and several other areas in the
\nregion.<\/p>\n
So despite the official assurances that Indonesia remained
\nunaffected, the unspoken public feeling was that the country
\nwould be unusually lucky to escape this disease for which no
\nknown treatment as yet exists. After all, Indonesia is an
\narchipelagic country, many of whose ports are potential entry
\npoints for the disease.<\/p>\n
The country's coastline is one of the longest -- and most
\ninadequately guarded -- in the region, if not the world. In
\naddition, Singapore and Hong Kong are places where thousands of
\nIndonesians find employment. The island of Batam in the Riau
\nislands buzzes daily with traffic to and from Singapore. From the
\nstart, there was little doubt in the public's mind that sooner or
\nlater the dreaded SARS would arrive in Indonesia -- if it had not
\nalready done so.<\/p>\n
That moment of truth came earlier this week when officials
\nmade it known that at least five \"alleged\" cases of the disease
\nhad been reported in Jakarta and Semarang in Central Java. All
\nfive, the government said, had all recently arrived back from
\nSARS-affected countries and displayed flu-like symptoms, though
\nthey had no known history of contact with SARS patients.<\/p>\n
That set the authorities scrambling to contain the disease
\nbefore it could grow into epidemic proportions. The disease was
\ndeclared an epidemic threat and state hospitals in Jakarta and in
\nthe provinces were appointed to serve as emergency SARS clinics.<\/p>\n
Minister of Health Achmad Sujudi was scheduled to issue a
\nministerial decree on Thursday invoking Law No.4\/1984, which
\ngives the minister of health the authority to take the necessary
\nsteps to contain the disease. This includes providing the
\nnecessary facilities and personnel for health institutions, and
\ndirecting the public in helping to fight the disease.<\/p>\n
Obviously, all of these measures are welcome, though they come
\nsomewhat belatedly. Preventive measures should have been taken at
\nseaports and airports, at border crossing points and hospitals as
\nsoon as the first cases were discovered in the region. It should
\nnever have been expected that Indonesia would escape the
\noutbreak, given the close social, political and economic
\nrelationships between Indonesia and its neighbors, and given the
\nhigh degree of mobility of people in this part of the world.<\/p>\n
Now that the first substantial step toward dealing with the
\nproblem has been taken by invoking Law No.4\/1984, the government
\nshould go all out to provide everything, including money, needed
\nby those workers and institutions involved in the effort in
\ncontain the disease. Obviously, this brings with it the need for
\ntransparency and accountability in the management of the
\nresources involved.<\/p>\n
Clearly, serious efforts are needed to deal with the disease.
\nAs the initial indicators and forecasts show, the current SARS
\noutbreak is nothing to trifle with. Already, the travel industry,
\nincluding airlines and hotels, is suffering because of SARS,
\nwhich could turn out to be even more harmful than the war in
\nIraq. This is not to mention the social costs the nation will
\nhave to shoulder if the disease is allowed to run out of control.<\/p>\n
Much of the success in fighting SARS will depend on the
\nsupport of the public. But it is the government's leadership that
\nin the end will determine whether the current SARS threat can be
\nmanaged and contained, or whether what we are seeing is a new
\ncrisis in the making.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/managing-sars-1447899208",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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