'All need access to bird flu info'

'All need access to bird flu info'

As the number of Indonesians showing symptoms of bird flu
continues to rise, the central government has put the outbreak
under extraordinary status, thus obliging it to step up measures
to prevent the virus from spreading. How has the government
handled the outbreak so far? The Jakarta Post asked some
residents for their opinions.

Wiguno Adi, 63, a retired civil servant living in Jagakarsa,
South Jakarta.

I live not too far from Ragunan Zoo and the news of bird flu
cases in the area has shocked many of us here.

So far, the government has only instructed us not to panic and
to keep our environment clean. So what if my house is clean, but
an infected bird deposits its droppings there, or my neighbor's
chicken runs around and around.

People who keep birds have not been educated on how to keep
them clean and healthy.

This country has many good scientists who can work on
producing a vaccine. We need to speed up research efforts.

Hendrayanto Kurnia, 36, a pharmacist at a drug store in
Cinere, Depok. He lives in Pangkalan Jati, South Jakarta.

The media has been devoting a lot of space to bird flu. That
helps raise people's awareness.

However, people working with poultry have not learned from
their mistakes and are still not wearing gloves and masks.

This is where the government has failed. Television news
reports are not enough. The government needs to disseminate
information to a cross-section of society.

--The Jakarta Post