SARS: Govt to remain on alert<\/p>\n
Sari P. Setiogi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The government would keep an eye on efforts to contain Severe
\nAcute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), although there have been no
\nnew probable cases over the past month, an official said.<\/p>\n
"It is still too early to declare the country SARS-free,
\nalthough the last probable case was announced on April 21, more
\nthan a month ago. We have passed three 10-day incubation periods
\nwithout any new cases," Syafii Anwar, secretary to the director
\ngeneral of Communicable Diseases Eradication and Health
\nEnvironment (P2M), told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.<\/p>\n
"Several other countries in the region have not yet had their
\nSARS-affected status lifted, so there is a possibility that
\npeople from those countries may infect someone here," he said.<\/p>\n
From the epidemiological point of view, only probable cases
\nwould be considered infected, he explained.<\/p>\n
The first probable case of SARS in the country was a British
\nnational, while the second was a 65-year-old Indonesian national.<\/p>\n
Indonesia has become more optimistic with the World Health
\nOrganization's (WHO's) decision to lift the travel ban imposed on
\nSingapore, declaring that the city-state had been successful in
\ncontaining SARS. More than 30 people in Singapore have died from
\nthe disease.<\/p>\n
Syafii, however, could not guarantee that Indonesia would be
\n100 percent free of the disease in the future.<\/p>\n
"As we have learned from Canada and Taiwan, the first peak in
\nthe number of cases was followed by another. SARS is not like
\nother communicable diseases that ease off after reaching their
\npeak," said Syafii.<\/p>\n
In response, the government is again stepping up measures,
\nparticularly at about 40 unofficial ports of entry.<\/p>\n
There are 24 such entry points in West Kalimantan alone,
\nincluding Nunukan, while about five to 10 are located in Sumatra,
\nmostly along the Riau coastal line, and another five in Sulawesi,
\nsaid Syafii.<\/p>\n
The government is now conducting the Acute Pneumonia
\nSurveillance program in cooperation with local community health
\ncenters (Puskesmas) at entry points.<\/p>\n
"Those who display atypical pneumonia symptoms, whether it is
\nSARS-related or not, should be isolated at home for 10 days,"
\nsaid Syafii.<\/p>\n
He added that the government was also preparing the Early
\nWarning Outbreak Recognition System (EWORS).<\/p>\n
"The system will enable us to predict from the emergence of
\nsymptoms, what kind of outbreak we might expect," he said. "EWORS
\nwill become operational in mid-June."<\/p>\n
The government is to open virology laboratories in the North
\nSumatra capital of Medan and in the South Sulawesi capital of
\nMakassar in order to facilitate the new programs.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/sars-govt-to-remain-on-alert-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}