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Jakarta Post

Hotels urged to closely monitor sick guests

The Badung Health Agency and the Bali branch of the Indonesian Hotels and Restaurants Association have asked hotels to closely monitor guests who suffer from influenza-like symptoms

Luh De Suriyani (The Jakarta Post)
Denpasar
Sat, May 23, 2009

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Hotels urged to closely monitor sick guests

T

he Badung Health Agency and the Bali branch of the Indonesian Hotels and Restaurants Association have asked hotels to closely monitor guests who suffer from influenza-like symptoms.

AA Gede Agung Mayun Darma Atmaja, head of the health agency, said this action must be taken for the prevention and detection of a possible spread of H1N1 influenza in Bali.

"The incubation period for influenza-like illness especially the H1N1 influenza is between three to seven days.

"Therefore, the monitoring period must be carried out within 14 days," Atmaja said.

Any foreign guests entering Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport will be screened by a thermal scanner.

Those who suffer from fever or influenza-like symptoms will receive health alert cards (HAC) upon arrival.

Health agencies in seven regencies and one municipality will have lists of all HAC holders.

So far, six tourists have been given HAC cards, including five Mexican visitors who stayed at a hotel in the Jimbaran resort area for two weeks.

The other was a migrant worker who had just returned home from Kuala Lumpur. The migrant worker had a serious cough and high fever, but was later treated with the anti-viral Tamiflu medicine.

The Mexican visitors were later taken off the card holder list as they did not suffer from any influenza-like symptoms.

"Hotel and restaurant owners have to work together to monitor guests, especially those with flu-like symptoms. It is necessary to immediately report any known cases so that prompt action can be taken," he said.

Meanwhile, the majority of food sellers serving pork dishes have experienced a sharp drop in their businesses.

"I have lost almost 50 percent of my regular customers," said Ni Nengah Ariani, a food vendor at the Satria traditional market in Denpasar.

Dr. I Gusti Ngurah Badiwangsa Temaja, however, explained the prevention action against the previously named swine flu should not focus on pigs or pork-related products.

"This is about human-to-human infections, not pigs," the doctor said.

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