Tamiflu
distributed in Indonesia's bird flu-hit area
22 August, 2006
Indonesia has begun to distribute Tamiflu
to some 2,100 people in the West Java town of Garut where three
people have been infected with the avian influenza virus, the local
newspaper The Jakarta Post reported Tuesday.
The distribution started on Monday as part of the
campaign to increase public awareness of the deadly H5N1
virus, which has killed 46 people in the country.
Fatimah Resmiati, spokeswoman from West Java environmental
health office of the Health Ministry, was quoted as saying that
the government had also distributed 200 books about bird flu to
elementary school children.
The local administration and authority figures have been asked to comply
with the 1984 Epidemics Law, the daily said.
The law obliges regional leaders to report on and
contain epidemics by mobilizing people, conducting epidemiological
research and public campaigns, terminating the source of the disease,
handling corpses and conducting required isolation and quarantine
operations.
The law carries a prison sentence of up to one
year and a 1 million rupiah (around 105 dollars) fine for those
who hamper prevention efforts.
"This campaign is very important so that people
will not force suspected bird flu patients to leave the hospital
and so they can detect infected poultry early and report birds'
sudden deaths before they infect humans," Fatimah said.
Three Garut residents age have been confirmed H5N1
positive, two of them died last week.
