Government 'has not done its best'

With the deaths of six people from avian influenza, and at least 19 other people hospitalized, the disease has sent fresh fear across the country. The Jakarta Post talked to some Jakarta people about whether or not the government has done enough to contain the outbreak.

Doddy, 30, works for a TV station in East Jakarta. He lives in Depok:

The government has so far not done its utmost to prevent the outbreak. Since the first deaths of Iwan Siswara and his two daughters in Tangerang in June, the government is still in the dark about the source of bird flu. Speculations is rife among the public and this is causing panic.

The impact is really devastating for business, especially, poultry breeders. The government must speed up the process of finding the source of transmission and take immediate action to prevent the spread of the virus. Otherwise, the devastation will continue and become even more widespread.

The government is urgently needs to launch a more aggressive campaign to encourage people to improve their environmental and personal hygiene, one of the simplest and most effective way of curbing the outbreak.

Surya Dharma Salim, 26, works for a property firm on Jl. Jend. Sudirman. He lives in Pluit, North Jakarta:

We lack information about the necessary precautionary measures to contain bird flu as the government's public information campaigns to date have been deficient. There was a strong impression that the government was trying to be defensive when the first case became public.

I think the outbreak is very alarming and that the government needs to be more serious about inform the public about what people need to do.

Personally, I don't know what to do. The only thing I know to do is to stop eating chicken.

-- The Jakarta Post