SBY wants swift bird flu investigation<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ordered Minister of Health
\nSiti Fadilah Supari on Sunday to determine as soon as possible
\nwhether the recent deaths of three people in Tangerang, Banten,
\nwere caused by the bird flu virus.<\/p>\n
Siti said last Friday her office had sent specimens to a Hong
\nKong laboratory to determine whether the deaths of a father and
\nhis two daughters were due to the virus. The results would take
\nat least seven days to process, she said.<\/p>\n
"We should not just wait for the test results. We should pick
\nup the ball (and ask for the test outcome earlier)," Susilo said
\nafter joining a friendly volleyball game against Army Strategic
\nand Reserve Command (Kostrad) soldiers in Jakarta on Sunday.<\/p>\n
The President said he had asked Siti to give him a full
\nexplanation about the cause of the deaths within the next two
\ndays.<\/p>\n
Susilo said he wanted the government to be transparent and
\nefficient in how it handled the case.<\/p>\n
His comments came after one poultry worker in South Sulawesi
\nofficially tested positive with the bird flu virus last month,
\nthe country's first confirmed bird flu victim. However, the man
\nhas recovered and has shown no further symptoms of the illness.<\/p>\n
Iwan Siswara Rapei, 38 and daughters Sabrina Nurul Aisyah, 9,
\nand Thalita Nurul Azizah, residents of Tangerang, all died from a
\nmysterious illness during the past two weeks.<\/p>\n
The victims are not known to have had any contact with sick
\nbirds within the past four months, according to the health
\nministry. The ministry has also said initial tests for the virus
\nhad been negative. If the victims are found to have contracted
\navian flu, health officials fear it could be the first human-to-
\nhuman transmission of the highly contagious virus.<\/p>\n
"There must be certainty in the case... Nothing should be
\ncovered up," said the President as quoted by Antara. "This is an
\nera of transparency. What is important is that the government do
\nall it can to prevent (disease) as early as possible."<\/p>\n
The ministry has put more than 300 people who have had contact
\nwith the three victims under observation, saying that none of
\nthem had so far displayed any signs of bird-flu infections, such
\nas fever and respiratory problems.<\/p>\n
The President also appealed to people not to be overly worried
\nabout the dangers of bird flu. However, he also asked people to
\nreport the spread of any infectious diseases to health
\nauthorities as soon as possible.<\/p>\n
Siti visited on Sunday the Villa Melati Mas complex where the
\nthree deceased lived to talk with local residents in an effort to
\nallay fears about the cases.<\/p>\n
She said the government had taken anticipatory measures to
\ntreat and prevent any possible spread of avian influenza. They
\nincluded providing 44 hospitals across the country with the
\nnecessary support facilities to treat bird flu-related diseases
\nand SARS.<\/p>\n
A special command post had also been established at the
\ndirectorate general of disease control and environmental health
\nagency in Central Jakarta, she said.<\/p>\n
The H5N1 strain of the virus is known to have killed 38
\nVietnamese, 12 Thais and four Cambodians since 2003.<\/p>\n
Last year, millions of poultry died in a bird flu outbreak in
\nIndonesia
\n.<\/p>",
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