10 C. Java hospitals ready for H1N1

Suherdjoko and Agus Maryono ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Semarang, Purwokerto, Kupang   |  Thu, 05/07/2009 2:29 PM  |  The Archipelago

The Central Java Health Office has appointed 10 reference hospitals to manage any H1N1 infections in the province, officials have announced.

Joko Mardiyanto, head of disease control, eradication and environmental health affairs at the office, said in Semarang on Tuesday that Kariadi Hospital in Semarang, Moewardi Hospital in Surakarta, Kardinah Hospital in Tegal, Keraton Hospital in Pekalongan, Tidar Hospital in Magelang, Margono Soekarjo Hospital in Purwokerto, Kendal Hospital, Banyumas Hospital, Kudus Hospital and Suradji Hospital in Klaten have been officially appointed to deal with the new virus.

Members of Commission E of the Central Java legislative council have held a coordinated meeting with relevant agencies in anticipation of the spread of the H1N1 virus.

Another precautionary measure taken by the provincial administration was the installation of thermal scanners at the Adisumarmo Airport in Surakarta and Adi Sucipto Airport in Yogyakarta as well as body disinfection devices at the Ahmad Yani Airport in Semarang.

Passengers disembarking at Tanjung Emas Port in Semarang must pass through an auriculare thermometer to ensure they are not infected by the H1N1 virus.

In Purwokerto, Central Java Vice Governor Rustriningsih said the provincial administration had instructed all health offices across the province to take preventive measures to cushion any possible outbreak of the new virus in Central Java.

"We have coordinated with agencies in the regencies and municipalities as to how to cope with the disease. We have asked pig owners to sterilize their pens to prevent them from becoming breeding places for the deadly virus," Rustriningsih said.

She added she had ordered every health office in the province to prepare adequate supplies of medicine, which could be needed to treat H1N1 cases.

"Stocks are adequate so far, so we don't have to set aside a special budget yet for that purpose, but we might have to later in the event of an outbreak," Rustriningsih said.

Although H1N1 is be passed from human to human, Commission E secretary Thontowi Jauhari proposed converting the region's pig farms to be used for other types of livestock to prevent a swine flu outbreak in Central Java.

"The pigs could be replaced with cattle or goats and could also be culled to prevent the disease," Thontowi said.

However, Abdullah, from the local animal husbandry office, deemed the proposal unnecessary and misguided. "Swine flu is not transmitted from animals to human, but from human to human," he said.

An official from the provincial livestock and animal husbandry agency, Eko Sutarti, said there are nearly 140,000 pigs in Central Java, scattered throughout 22 regencies and municipalities.

In Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara Vice Governor Esthon Foennay urged people not to be afraid of consuming pork, because the H1N1 virus has not yet been found in the province.

"I call on the people not to be worried about consuming pork as long as they lead a healthy lifestyle. Environmental sanitation must be preserved and pig farming methods enhanced to maintain animal quality in the province," Foennay said on Wednesday.

The provincial administration has taken various steps, including conducting field observations, to ensure its 1.5 million pigs are safe and healthy.

Meanwhile, Ngaisah, 31, a migrant worker from Banyuwangi, East Java, who was previously suspected of being infected by the H1N1 virus, later tested negative and was given the all clear by doctors at Dr. Soetomo General Hospital in Surabaya.

Slamet R. Yuwono, director of the hospital, said Wednesday that, based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) observations, Ngaisah, who landed in Surabaya at Juanda Airport on Tuesday evening, was free from the virus, even though she had a high fever of 38.5 degrees Celsius.

"She just has a common fever, she is not infected by the swine flu virus. Therefore, the hospital has sent her home to Pesanggrahan district in Banyuwangi," Slamet said.

Ngaisah arrived at Juanda Airport on a Cathay Pacific flight from Taiwan, after transiting in Hong Kong. When she passed through the airport's thermal body scanner. It showed her body temperature was very high. Airport staff then took her to the hospital for further observation.

Contributing to this article were Yemris Fointuna from Kupang and Agnes S Jayakarna from Surabaya

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved.