FrenchieGirl
Senior Moderator
[Cross-posted from Indonesia thread]
Indonesia may slap swine flu ban on travel to and from Australia
Monday, 15 June 2009
A report over the weekend in The Jakarta Post says that Indonesia Health Minister Siti Fadillah Supari is still considering to slap a travel ban on countries affected by the newly announced pandemic of the Mexico sub-type of influenza H1N1.
?We are still coordinating with other related institutions such as the Office of the Coordinating Minister of People?s Welfare on a travel ban against countries affected by swine flu,? she told reporters during a press conference at the Juanda International Airport just outside Surabaya, ?But we are urging Indonesians having flu not to go abroad.?
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared Thursday the first flu pandemic of the 21st century, urging countries to shore up defences against the virus which is ?not stoppable? but has proved so far to be mainly mild in its impact. The United Nations health agency raised its pandemic flu alert to phase 6 on a six-point scale, indicating the first influenza pandemic since 1968 is underway, with so far the H1N1 virus has affected 74 countries all over the world with 114 deaths out of 28,774 cases.
Six neighbouring countries to Indonesia, including Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam have reported flu cases, but no swine flu cases have been reported in Indonesia.
Indonesia?s Director General of Disease Control and Environment Health at the health ministry, Tjandra Yoga Aditama, said Indonesia did not have to issue travel warning because several countries conduct swine flu handling and prevention measures at all international airports, adding, ?A visitor with flu who enters a country through an airport will be quarantined and health conditions [will be] checked,? and ?Similar measures are also taken by the Indonesian authorities.?
Indonesia may slap swine flu ban on travel to and from Australia
Monday, 15 June 2009
A report over the weekend in The Jakarta Post says that Indonesia Health Minister Siti Fadillah Supari is still considering to slap a travel ban on countries affected by the newly announced pandemic of the Mexico sub-type of influenza H1N1.
?We are still coordinating with other related institutions such as the Office of the Coordinating Minister of People?s Welfare on a travel ban against countries affected by swine flu,? she told reporters during a press conference at the Juanda International Airport just outside Surabaya, ?But we are urging Indonesians having flu not to go abroad.?
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared Thursday the first flu pandemic of the 21st century, urging countries to shore up defences against the virus which is ?not stoppable? but has proved so far to be mainly mild in its impact. The United Nations health agency raised its pandemic flu alert to phase 6 on a six-point scale, indicating the first influenza pandemic since 1968 is underway, with so far the H1N1 virus has affected 74 countries all over the world with 114 deaths out of 28,774 cases.
Six neighbouring countries to Indonesia, including Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam have reported flu cases, but no swine flu cases have been reported in Indonesia.
Indonesia?s Director General of Disease Control and Environment Health at the health ministry, Tjandra Yoga Aditama, said Indonesia did not have to issue travel warning because several countries conduct swine flu handling and prevention measures at all international airports, adding, ?A visitor with flu who enters a country through an airport will be quarantined and health conditions [will be] checked,? and ?Similar measures are also taken by the Indonesian authorities.?