Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari has downplayed the danger of a potential swine flu pandemic that, as of Tuesday, crossed new borders into the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region, as the number of deaths in Mexico attributed to the virus surpassed 150.

Siti said Tuesday although the World Health Organization (WHO) had raised the status of the disease to phase 4 on Tuesday — which is only two stages away from official pandemic status — the country should not be unnecessarily worried about the disease for several reasons.

“First, the H5N1 type A influenza virus is more dangerous than the H1N1 type A influenza virus."

The WHO raised Tuesday the alert level to phase 4, meaning there is sustained human-to-human transmission of the virus causing outbreaks in at least one country.

The minister said that the H5N1 virus, better known as avian flu, has a fatality rate of 80 percent, while the H1N1 virus that causes swine flu has a fatality rate of about 6 percent.

“That means out of 100 people that catch the H1N1 virus, about 6 people die, while 80 out of a 100 people that catch avian flu die.”

“Secondly, the H1N1 virus dies easily in a tropical climate.”

The health minister said the government was prepared to contain the spread of the disease. The ministry of health has taken precautionary measures such as installing 10 thermal scanners in several international airports and seaports across the country.

The thermal scanners can detect fevers in inbound travellers, especially from North America and Singapore, “since Singapore is a transit country”, she said.

The ministry has also reactivated the 80 sentinels for influenza-like illnesses (ILI) & pneumonia surveillance.

“We have sufficient stocks of medicines to contain the swine flu, which is basically the same as the ones to counter the avian flu virus, Oseltamivir,” Siti said.

“Over 100 referral hospitals are ready to handle cases of swine flu, if there are any. We have also prepared laboratories to detect the H1N1 virus in existing avian flu virus labs.”

Dissemination of information through village programs is also a priority of the government, the minister said.

“And we have performed simulations of influenza pandemic situations in Jembrana, Bali and in Makassar, Sulawesi,” she added.

In further attempts to prevent the possible spread of the swine virus through international trade, Coordinating Minister for the People’s Welfare Aburizal Bakrie announced Monday that the country is temporarily halting the import of pork products.

Rita Kusriastuti, director of the eradication of animal-origin diseases (P2B2) at the health ministry said that the symptoms of swine flu are not so different from those of avian flu, “Except that in the case of swine flu, nausea and diarrhoea are more likely to occur.”

“The general symptoms are high fever, cough and fatigue, with sore throat and trouble breathing.”

“As soon as one of the symptoms occurs, you should directly have a doctor analyse you,” she said.

The ministry of health has set up a swine flu hotline, which can be reached at: (021) 4257125. (iwp)

Popular

Volcano erupts in North Sulawesi, hundreds evacuated

Dubai roads, airport reel from floods after record rains

Ramadan boosts consumer confidence, retail sales