RI yet to respond to anthrax threat
RI yet to respond to anthrax threat
Annastashya Emmanuelle and Fitri Wulandari, The Jakarta Post,
Jakarta
Despite the anthrax attacks in the United States, the
government has yet to take any special precautions against the
possibility of such attacks being repeated here.
This was because there was no real evidence that such attacks
had taken place in Indonesia, Umar Fahmi Achmadi, director
general for contagious disease eradication and environmental
sanitation at the Ministry of Health, said in an interview on
Friday.
"So far, it has just been mass hysteria. There is no concrete
evidence. If there is a real case where people have gotten sick
after receiving mail or parcels, then we will immediately take
action,"
Besides, there has been no indication that Indonesia would be
targeted for attack, Umar added.
Umar said special precautions were not necessary because all
hospitals, laboratories, and public health centers were ready to
take immediate action should an anthrax case occur as they had
experience with anthrax outbreaks in the past.
"We have anthrax cases almost every year. So, healthcare
officials know how to handle the disease. Even public health
centers have guidelines on how to treat anthrax," Umar added.
The most recent anthrax outbreak occurred in February 2001, in
Hambalang, Bogor, West Java. Earlier, an anthrax outbreak was
also reported in Boyolali in Central Java.
Furthermore, Umar said, the public should not be panicked by
the anthrax threat as the disease could be easily treated with
antibiotics.
However, he advised the public to remain alert.
"Should you receive any mysterious letters or parcels, please
immediately report them to the police. The police can then notify
the nearest hospital or laboratory to check if the letter
contains the anthrax virus," Umar said, adding that the media
could help raise public awareness through its coverage.
The postal service, nevertheless, claims that it has neither
the knowledge nor the technology to detect the deadly anthrax
bug, and has yet to receive instructions from the Directorate
General for Post and Telecommunications on preventative actions.
"Most of our operational staff don't even know what anthrax is
and how the virus is spread... we have very little knowledge on
this matter," said Baharuddin, the region IV secretary of PT Pos
Indonesia, who manages post offices in greater Jakarta.
As the bug has become quite a serious matter in post offices
throughout Europe and the U.S., Baharuddin hopes that the Health
Ministry will soon brief him on anthrax and its proper handling.
Thus far, directorate officials seem to be taking the issue
lightly, and it has not yet been discussed in officials'
meetings.
"Perhaps because it happened just recently.. we're still
treating mail on the basis of normal procedures," he added.
Post office workers, along with officials from the Customs
Office, still rely on a basic X-ray check for international mail
under 20 grams as a means of detecting heroin, although packages
are opened manually when checking for prohibited or taxable
items.
Postal staff sort mail with their bare hands, and are not
equipped with face masks.
Baharuddin said that, without any formal instruction from the
Directorate General for Post and Telecommunications, the post
office could not take any action even though operational staff
were facing a health hazard.
"We will soon raise the issue with the Directorate General.
Meanwhile, there is really nothing that we can do," he
reiterated.
There is an average of 5,000 incoming mail items from the
United States delivered daily throughout the country, he added.