With the number of H1N1 flu cases continuing to rise, the Health Ministry is calling on everyone who is sick with the flu to refrain from going out in public and get medical treatment as soon as possible.
The director general of disease control and environmental health at the ministry, Tjandra Yoga Aditama, told The Jakarta Post Monday that people with flu symptoms should stay home to avoid passing the virus on to others.
“The cure to flu is resting."
Tjandra added that the ministry urged people to report to health agencies if they see a rise in the number of people sick with the flu in their neighborhood.
“Whenever there’s a report, a team from the agencies or other public health facilities nearby will visit the location and separate the sick from the healthy to keep out infections. The team will also treat the sick people,” he added.
As of Monday, 771 people have tested positive for H1N1 flu in Indonesia, including 80 new cases recorded in seven provinces on Sunday. Three deaths have been attributed to the new virus.
Despite the soaring number, North Jakarta's Sulianti Saroso Hospital for Infectious Diseases is only treating three patients in its isolation ward.
Director of the hospital, Sardikin Giriputro, said the relatively small number of people being treated was because the hospital is no longer admitting patients with mild symptoms.
“We now only treat those with severe symptoms or those at higher risk, such as the elderly, babies and pregnant women, as inpatients,” he said, adding that more than 150 H1N1 patients have been treated at his hospital over the past two months.
The hospital has 20 beds for H1N1 flu patients, but Sardikin said the hospital was ready to add more, “if the situation calls for it”.
The virus is spreading fast in many parts of the country; 22 provinces have recorded cases of the H1N1 flu.
The Muhammad Hoesin Hospital in Palembang meanwhile admitted a 24-year-old women suspected of carrying the H1N1 flu on Saturday.
In Barito Kuala, South Kalimantan, nine schools have told their students to stay home until Tuesday after six students caught the virus.
The ministry has been urging people to adopt healthy habits in order to curb the spread of the virus.
Simple habits, such as hand washing, are proved to be effective in preventing the spread of the flu.
Although many say they are not worried about the rapid spread of the virus, some say they have begun washing their hands more often.
Ani Rohani, a Jakartan and a mother of five, said she ensured hand washing was a family habit, “as it can improve our bodies’ resistance to many kinds of diseases”.
“We also eat vitamins and honey every day,” she added. (adh)
Khairul Saleh contributed to this story from Palembang
