Truth or dare

Given the risk it poses to human life and the relative ease with which it spreads, it is not surprising that many people are worried about the dengue fever epidemic in various places in Indonesia, and specifically in Jakarta. But the Jakarta city administration's policy of not revealing the true number of dengue fever victims on the grounds that it might scare off tourists is shockingly cynical.

As reported in the press, Jakarta's Deputy Governor for Social Welfare, R.S. Museno, justified the policy, which seems to have been cooked up in the city administration's public relations office, by saying that "publication of the figures could have a negative effect on the tourism sector." Citing the time when inaccurate newspaper reports in Japan about a supposed cholera outbreak in Bali caused Japanese tourists to stay away from Bali in droves, Museno said the Jakarta city administration's policy was right because the reports "could reduce the number of tourists, especially foreign ones, to Jakarta."

What precisely is the situation regarding dengue fever in Jakarta? To cite some official figures: Up to the middle of this month 3,024 cases and 43 deaths from dengue fever were recorded. Thomas Suroso, an official at the Ministry of Health cautions that the figures may rise until at least the end of this month since June and July are the months in which the greatest number of cases occur.

We are aware that sensationalistic reporting could indeed cause a setback in the tourist business. In this respect there is nothing wrong with Museno's reference to the Bali incident of a few years back. However, there are at least a couple of points that must be considered. First of all, the Bali reports were inaccurate. What happened in Bali a few years ago was not a cholera epidemic, but an outbreak of a kind of diarrhea known locally as muntaber, which is characterized, among other things, by vomiting and diarrhea but is much less serious than cholera. More importantly, we believe that it is the right of the public -- tourists included -- to be informed of whatever might affect their well-being while visiting a certain place.

To quote another official, the chairman of the Indonesian Medical Association, Dr. Azrul Azwar, suppressing information on dengue fever will limit the public's awareness of the disease and how to prevent it. According to Azrul, active public participation in preventing the disease by the public is crucial because much of the necessary action -- such as observing hygiene, drying out pools of stagnant water, wiping out mosquito eggs and scrubbing bathroom walls -- must be taken at home. "If the press reports are written with the intention of arousing public action, we need not fear widespread panic," he said.

The key to this dilemma as we see it is not to withhold information from the public, since that will keep people in the dark about real health conditions in their environment and prevents them from taking the necessary action to protect themselves and their families. We need to give the public what it has a right to -- accurate information and guidance.