Truth or dare<\/p>\n
Given the risk it poses to human life and the relative ease
\nwith which it spreads, it is not surprising that many people are
\nworried about the dengue fever epidemic in various places in
\nIndonesia, and specifically in Jakarta. But the Jakarta city
\nadministration's policy of not revealing the true number of
\ndengue fever victims on the grounds that it might scare off
\ntourists is shockingly cynical.<\/p>\n
As reported in the press, Jakarta's Deputy Governor for Social
\nWelfare, R.S. Museno, justified the policy, which seems to have
\nbeen cooked up in the city administration's public relations
\noffice, by saying that \"publication of the figures could have a
\nnegative effect on the tourism sector.\" Citing the time when
\ninaccurate newspaper reports in Japan about a supposed cholera
\noutbreak in Bali caused Japanese tourists to stay away from Bali
\nin droves, Museno said the Jakarta city administration's policy
\nwas right because the reports \"could reduce the number of
\ntourists, especially foreign ones, to Jakarta.\"<\/p>\n
What precisely is the situation regarding dengue fever in
\nJakarta? To cite some official figures: Up to the middle of this
\nmonth 3,024 cases and 43 deaths from dengue fever were recorded.
\nThomas Suroso, an official at the Ministry of Health cautions
\nthat the figures may rise until at least the end of this month
\nsince June and July are the months in which the greatest number
\nof cases occur.<\/p>\n
We are aware that sensationalistic reporting could indeed
\ncause a setback in the tourist business. In this respect there is
\nnothing wrong with Museno's reference to the Bali incident of a
\nfew years back. However, there are at least a couple of points
\nthat must be considered. First of all, the Bali reports were
\ninaccurate. What happened in Bali a few years ago was not a
\ncholera epidemic, but an outbreak of a kind of diarrhea known
\nlocally as muntaber, which is characterized, among other things,
\nby vomiting and diarrhea but is much less serious than cholera.
\nMore importantly, we believe that it is the right of the public
\n-- tourists included -- to be informed of whatever might affect
\ntheir well-being while visiting a certain place.<\/p>\n
To quote another official, the chairman of the Indonesian
\nMedical Association, Dr. Azrul Azwar, suppressing information on
\ndengue fever will limit the public's awareness of the disease and
\nhow to prevent it. According to Azrul, active public
\nparticipation in preventing the disease by the public is crucial
\nbecause much of the necessary action -- such as observing
\nhygiene, drying out pools of stagnant water, wiping out mosquito
\neggs and scrubbing bathroom walls -- must be taken at home. \"If
\nthe press reports are written with the intention of arousing
\npublic action, we need not fear widespread panic,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The key to this dilemma as we see it is not to withhold
\ninformation from the public, since that will keep people in the
\ndark about real health conditions in their environment and
\nprevents them from taking the necessary action to protect
\nthemselves and their families. We need to give the public what it
\nhas a right to -- accurate information and guidance.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/truth-or-dare-1447899208",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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