'Airlines should give us vitamins'
'Airlines should give us vitamins'
Some 100 people worldwide have been killed by Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and nearly 2,800 more may have been
infected. The outbreak of SARS, first detected in Guangdong,
China, in November, has threatened many countries, including
Indonesia. The Jakarta Post talked to some city residents who
have been alarmed by it.
Buanawati, 31, is an airline stewardess who works on
international flights. She lives in Pamulang, Tangerang, with her
husband and daughter:
I've just returned from Singapore. To be honest, I'm quite
worried about the fatal ailment.
In Singapore I stayed inside the hotel with my colleagues most
of the time. If I had to go out, I wore a mask for fear of being
infected.
I wonder why the airline here seems not to have paid much
attention to flight crews, in view of the disease. At the very
least, it should have given us vitamins or injections. Instead,
the company has only provided flight attendants with masks to
wear on duty.
In this respect, raising awareness might have been preferable
to prevent a rapid outbreak of the ailment. Not all passengers
from Indonesia are willing to wear masks.
I'm still in the dark about it. It seems as though the issue
has been blown up so much that SARS is now considered a
terrifying disease. I tried to get further information from a
medical doctor but his reply was rather vague.
The most important thing is how to anticipate it, I guess. I
wash my hands more frequently after serving passengers. In
addition, I also take more vitamins and wear a mask to
keep me healthy.
In my opinion, most hospitals here have not responded well in
taking serious, preventive measures. The government and hospitals
only take serious measures when there have been victims. It's
happening here, right now.
Nuning, 54, is a businesswoman who runs a publishing company.
She lives in the Radio Dalam area, South Jakarta, with her
husband and two children;
Frankly, I'm really worried about the SARS epidemic in the
country. I think the ailment is deadly.
Several years ago my son died from a similar, flu-like disease
that infected his brain when he studied in Europe. It was a
nightmare for me at the time.
I think it's not an overreaction to say I'm scared of a
horrendous disease like SARS. My own experience has left me
traumatized and I swear I don't want something like that to
happen again to me.
I have postponed all invitations to the countries where the
contagious disease has spread. Next month, I should be attending
a sort of exhibition in China, but I've declined to go for fear
of being infected by the disease.
In anticipation, I've decided not to travel to neighboring
countries for the time being. In addition, I have to keep fit so
as to stay immune from such a viral disease. That's all I can do
at present.
Cahyo, 33, is married with one daughter. He works for a
private company affiliated to a foreign company in West Jakarta.
He lives in Tangerang, Banten, with his family:
Well, I must admit I'm worried about the epidemic, but I don't
want to worsen the situation by panicking over it.
I believe that preventive measures are far better in
anticipating the spread of the ailment. In addition, staying
healthy is the best approach to personal health care for each of
us.
I'm not trying to be racist about it, but it might be wise to
stay away for the time being from places packed with Chinese
people, such as Kota, West Jakarta.
It's quite logical to think this way, as the outbreak of the
flu-like ailment first spread from China and some neighboring
countries in which ethnic Chinese are predominant.
It is not impossible that Chinese travelers might come and
visit Chinatown in the city. They might come for business or
family matters.
Or, if possible, those of us who can afford protective masks
should wear them whenever we go to areas prone to the ailment.
Worse, I think, hospitals in our country do not guarantee
prevention of the epidemic. Personally I'm skeptical at the
ability of our hospitals to handle the epidemic.
--Leo Wahyudi S