Sutiyoso plays down danger of bird flu

Sutiyoso plays down danger of bird flu

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Governor Sutiyoso played down on Monday the danger of avian flu
in the capital, saying dengue fever was "more dangerous".

Health minister Siti Fadillah Supari said on Sunday that Iwan
Siswara of the Vila Melati Mas housing complex in Serpong,
Tangerang, some 30 kilometers west of Jakarta, died of bird flu.
However, the minister said the man's two daughters, who also died
after suffering similar symptoms, did not die of avian flu.

News of the deaths last week has sparked fear that bird flu
could spread through Jakarta, a city of about eight million.

"So far there is no evidence that anyone else, including the
doctors and nurses who cared for the patient at the hospital, has
been infected with bird flu. I am sure dengue fever is more
dangerous than this (avian flu) case," Sutiyoso said at City
Hall.

Sutiyoso again stressed the importance of residents cleaning
up their neighborhoods to prevent outbreaks of dengue fever.

"I urge all residents to take part in the 30-minute
antimosquito drive every Friday," he said.

The mosquito-borne dengue fever virus affected Jakarta and six
other provinces around the country earlier this year. In Jakarta,
the fever claimed 26 lives and affected at least 3,928 residents.

However, the governor said his staff was preparing preventive
measures to prevent an outbreak of avian flu.

"I have instructed the City Animal Husbandry and Fisheries
Agency to tighten the supervision of poultry coming into the
city, especially from Tangerang," he said.

The City Health Agency will distribute brochures informing
residents of the danger of bird flu and preventive measures to
avoid infection.

"Do not panic. We are not going to advise residents to stop
eating eggs or chicken for fear of transmitting the virus.
Instead, we call on residents to cook poultry properly to ensure
it is safe to eat," he said.

The Ministry of Health announced late last week that bird flu
may have been responsible for the recent deaths of Iwan Siswara
Rapei, 38, who was an auditor at the Supreme Audit Agency, and
his two daughters, Sabrina Nurul Aisyah, 9, and Thalita Nurul
Hikmah, 1.

Minister Siti Fadillah said Iwan had clinical symptoms of bird
flu but his two daughters tested negative for the disease. She
said her ministry sent specimens to a laboratory in Hong Kong to
confirm the results.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has ordered the minister to
expedite the laboratory process to shed light on the worrying
case.

The absence of a link between the three victims and unhealthy
poultry has raised concern of possible human-to-human
transmission.

The Ministry of Health is monitoring 350 people who had
contact with the victims, including doctors, nurses, neighbors
and work colleagues.