'Mad cow, bird flu ... should I stop eating?'

'Mad cow, bird flu ... should I stop eating?'

After keeping it secret from the public for five months, an
outbreak of avian influenza, or bird flu in the country has been
confirmed by the government. But despite the World Health
Organization's recommendation of a mass culling of poultry, the
government has refused standard measures.

Among possible recriminations of the tardy response to the
outbreak, is a misinformed public. The Jakarta Post spoke
to some city residents about the issue:

Euis, 28, is a waitress at a food stall in Gelora subdistrict,
Central Jakarta. She lives with her family nearby:

I don't know what bird flu is, I have never heard of it.

We still have chicken and eggs on our menu, and nothing was
left when we closed in the afternoon.

Our employer always buys food from the supermarket, she says
that chicken, eggs, fruit and vegetables sold at the traditional
market are not as hygienic.

Yanti, 27, works as a graphic designer for an advertising
company on Jl. Jend. Sudirman, Central Jakarta. She lives with
her parents in Pluit, North Jakarta:

I think the world is getting closer to its end as there are so
many diseases emerging nowadays. Before, it was mad cow disease,
now it's bird flu. Who knows what is next.

I'm quite scared about this bird flu thing, you know. The
government says that there won't be a mass culling of poultry. I
ask myself just how precious human lives in Indonesia are? Are
they nothing compared to the lives of chicken?

So now, I have stopped eating chicken and try to eat fish
instead. I hope this is okay as, otherwise, I don't know what
else to eat. Maybe I should be a vegetarian. It's healthier,
although some vegetables are contaminated with pesticides. Maybe
I should just stop eating!

--The Jakarta Post