District sealed after Anthrax outbreak

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government is closely monitoring several provinces prone to Anthrax and will provide free medication for those that contract the disease.

Minister of Health Siti Fadilah Supari said after a meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Monday that the government was focusing on West Java, East Java and East Nusa Tenggara as the provinces where the contagious disease was likely.

"We are still looking for which parts of these provinces that may have suffered from the outbreak the most," Siti said.

The minister said the provinces were considered prone to the disease due to the large number of livestock breeders.

"With the close observation. we hope to develop an early warning system before more outbreaks happen," Siti said.

Anthrax disease has affected the country almost every year, but has never become a full-blown epidemic.

The latest outbreak was detected on Oct. 16, when 20 people were admitted to the hospital at the Babakan Madang village in Bogor, West Java, after eating or handling infected goat meat.

Some 65 people soon displayed early symptoms of Anthrax such as headaches, stomach aches and nausea. Only 20 of them tested positive for Anthrax, and at least six died.

"The government has allocated funds to provide free medication for the patients and we urge people demonstrating early symptoms to immediately go to the hospital as they will be treated for free," Siti said.

Presidential spokesman Andi Mallarangeng said the President also asked the Ministry of Agriculture to handle the issue immediately.

"The President asked for immediate actions to isolate the spread of the disease," Andi said in the press conference.

In Bogor, a suspected Anthrax patient from Babakan Madang village was moved to Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital in Jakarta due to continuous nose bleeding.

Cibinong General Hospital director Julianti Julia said the health of nine-year-old Erna Aryanti had worsened since her arrival at the hospital on Monday.

Julianti said her patient's crucial blood cell counts were declining, prompting the hospital to transfer Erna to the country's biggest state hospital.

Cibinong hospital also received a woman with Anthrax symptoms on Sunday. The patient, identified as Siti Maryam, remains in the observation unit as she still complains about restlessness.