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.