Minister allays anthrax fears

Minister allays anthrax fears

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Minister of Health Achmad Sujudi called for calm on Saturday
over the anthrax scare that has affected many countries.

He said that even though the disease was highly infectious, it
was curable if it was diagnosed and treated early.

Sujudi said Indonesia had experience in handling anthrax as
the Bacillus anthracis bacterium, which causes the disease, was
endemic to several regions in the country.

He said that it was also known as splenic fever as the
bacterium attacks the spleen of animals, which later leads to the
thinning of the blood.

"Anthrax is actually a disease of animals and we have
succeeded in overcoming the spread of the disease here.
Antibiotics or a derivate of tetracycline will cure the disease.

"I haven't received a report on anthrax spores sent by mail.
But I cannot say we are not vulnerable because this is a small
world," Sujudi said after opening a service that offers
consultations for heart patients over the phone.

People contract the disease after consuming the meat of
infected animals, or inhaling the bacteria while handling
infected animals' fur.

People working with soil contaminated with the bacterium in
endemic areas or having direct contact with an infected animal
which has an open wound will also expose them to the disease.
Mostly cows, goats, sheep and buffaloes carry the disease.

There are various symptoms, but generally those who have
contracted the disease will complain of nausea, fever or
ulcerating nodules on the skin three days to one week after
exposure.

Those who have inhaled the bacterium may suffer breathing
difficulties, fever, chills, weakness, headache, abdominal and
chest pains, which, Sujudi said, was the most dangerous form of
the disease.

"People suspecting they have received anthrax spores in their
mail can send the specimen to the ministry's Directorate General
of Communicable Disease Control and Environmental Health for
examination," he said.

The directorate general, known as Ditjen P2M&KL, is located at
Jl. Percetakan Negara No. 29 in East Jakarta.