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.