Govt launches drive against SARS epidemic

Govt launches drive against SARS epidemic

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government finally proclaimed on Thursday the deadly flu- like disease known as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) a national epidemic threat, almost three weeks after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the worldwide spread of the heretofore unknown ailment.

The announcement was followed by the implementation of a law which carries a jail term of up to one year to those who block the government's measures to control the outbreak.

Critics and other members of the public considered the decision too late as the public had been very confused and living in fear about a number of rumors about the SARS outbreak at home since WHO uncustomarily issued its high alert on March 15.

However, Minister of Health Achmad Sujudi denied that the government made a belated declaration of SARS as a national threat, saying it had issued a travel advisory to people heading to SARS-prone countries and informed airports and seaports to take precautions since March 17.

"SARS is a dangerous disease that could cause an epidemic and could endanger the country, and now the government has issued a ministerial decree to enforce the epidemic law for SARS case," he said.

The decree No. 424/2003 dated on April 3 was issued to enforce the Law No. 4/1984 on epidemics for the first time.

Coordinating Minister of People's Welfare Jusuf Kalla also said that the government was very serious in responding to the disease and had taken necessary measures to prevent it from spreading in he country.

With the law, the government could quarantine people suspected of having SARS, oblige hospitals and people to report any suspected SARS-patient to the nearest health office or village head, otherwise they could be put in jail.

To date, nearly 80 people around the world have died, mostly in China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Vietnam. and over 2,200 people were infected with SARS since WHO declared SARS a worldwide health threat.

No medicine has been found to cure the disease which is caused by a virus of a new family called coronavirus.

Indonesia's neighbor, Singapore has also reported an increasing number of SARS patients. Four people have been killed by SARS and some 95 other infected SARS patients have been discovered so far.

Surprisingly, no confirmed SARS cases have been recorded in Indonesia.

Many have claimed that some hospitals in Indonesia have deliberately concealed the fact that there had been SARS patients being treated so as not to scare people who wish to have other medical treatment at a particular hospital.

Marius Widjajarta, Chief of the Indonesian Health Consumer Empowerment Foundation, criticized the government's late measures against SARS, saying that it certainly underestimated the magnitude of the disease.

"Why does it take nearly 20 days for the government to declare SARS a threat? It seems there have been many things concealed, while within those days, SARS cases may be already have spread to many parts of the country as we can't detect them," he said.

According to him, the government also has provided people with confusing data on suspected SARS patients of between three and five people. The government has said the incubation period was 14 days, although WHO had it at 10 days, he said.

"People can sue the government for their mistakes based on Law No 8/1999 on consumer protection," Marius said.

Metro TV also aired its survey on Thursday, of which over 60 percent of its respondents said the government decision to declare SARS a national epidemic threat was very late.

In Jakarta, one person who is being treated at the Infectious Disease Hospital (RSPI) Sulyanti Saroso was allowed to leave the hospital, according to the hospital official Amir.

In Semarang, Karyadi Hospital Director Gatot Suharto said that the suspected SARS patient was declared free of SARS, saying she suffered from normal pneumonia.

In Bandung, West Java, Nono Tjahjono, head of the West Java health office had instructed the head of Subang regency to carry out home isolation to one person with alleged or observed SARS.

In Makassar, South Sulawesi, Port Health Clinic Head Taufiq Tjahjadi said his office had delivered 50 quarantine officials to Hasanuddin Airport in South Sulawesi and all seaports in South Sulawesi to monitor and check passengers arriving in the city.