Sally Furniss
Well-known member
Lack of education 'raising bird flu risk'
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailnational.asp?fileid=20070330.G01&irec=0
Apriadi Gunawan and Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Medan, Yogyakarta
Indonesia's bird flu death toll is likely to increase thanks to poor education among Indonesians about the dangers of the deadly virus, an executive from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) said Thursday.
Speaking at a workshop on live bird and traditional markets in Medan, North Sumatra, Max Coats, the USDA director for Indonesia, said cooperation among all stakeholders, including the government, was needed to spread information to the public about the threat of the bird flu virus.
The quick spread of the H5N1 bird flu virus meant action had to be taken quickly, he said. Indonesia has recorded 69 bird flu deaths, the highest figure for any country.
Coats said many Indonesians were well educated about the virus, but that they were outnumbered by those who still knew little about it.
He said Indonesian cities such as Yogyakarta, Medan and Makassar needed government attention to tackle poor public knowledge about the disease.
Coats expressed confidence that the Indonesian government was working seriously to battle the virus. But he said the government could not be expected to work alone and that help was needed from all sections of the community.
Meanwhile, the Yogyakarta office of Islamic Relief Indonesia (IRI) conducted mass disinfectant sprayings on Thursday on poultry throughout the villages of Sumberagung, Jetis and Bantul. The sprayings were aimed at heading off the increased risk of an outbreak due to damage from last year's earthquake.
"These are the fourth mass sprayings we've conducted here since December last year," Mumpuni Ardiyani of the office said.
The sprayings, Mumpuni said, followed a series of workshops held in November last year on bird flu awareness involving over 70 people from Sumberagung village.
The workshops also provided education on healthy lifestyles and how to disinfect poultry.
"We've provided each of the cadres with a sprayer, gloves, boots, masks, safety goggles and disinfectant," Mumpuni said.
Sumberagung village was one of the regions worst affected by the powerful earthquake that rocked Yogyakarta and its surrounds on May 27, 2006, killing nearly 6,000 people and displaced some 1.5 million others.
Concerns about bird flu have been heightened in Sumberagung by a recent case of the disease in the village.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailnational.asp?fileid=20070330.G01&irec=0
Apriadi Gunawan and Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Medan, Yogyakarta
Indonesia's bird flu death toll is likely to increase thanks to poor education among Indonesians about the dangers of the deadly virus, an executive from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) said Thursday.
Speaking at a workshop on live bird and traditional markets in Medan, North Sumatra, Max Coats, the USDA director for Indonesia, said cooperation among all stakeholders, including the government, was needed to spread information to the public about the threat of the bird flu virus.
The quick spread of the H5N1 bird flu virus meant action had to be taken quickly, he said. Indonesia has recorded 69 bird flu deaths, the highest figure for any country.
Coats said many Indonesians were well educated about the virus, but that they were outnumbered by those who still knew little about it.
He said Indonesian cities such as Yogyakarta, Medan and Makassar needed government attention to tackle poor public knowledge about the disease.
Coats expressed confidence that the Indonesian government was working seriously to battle the virus. But he said the government could not be expected to work alone and that help was needed from all sections of the community.
Meanwhile, the Yogyakarta office of Islamic Relief Indonesia (IRI) conducted mass disinfectant sprayings on Thursday on poultry throughout the villages of Sumberagung, Jetis and Bantul. The sprayings were aimed at heading off the increased risk of an outbreak due to damage from last year's earthquake.
"These are the fourth mass sprayings we've conducted here since December last year," Mumpuni Ardiyani of the office said.
The sprayings, Mumpuni said, followed a series of workshops held in November last year on bird flu awareness involving over 70 people from Sumberagung village.
The workshops also provided education on healthy lifestyles and how to disinfect poultry.
"We've provided each of the cadres with a sprayer, gloves, boots, masks, safety goggles and disinfectant," Mumpuni said.
Sumberagung village was one of the regions worst affected by the powerful earthquake that rocked Yogyakarta and its surrounds on May 27, 2006, killing nearly 6,000 people and displaced some 1.5 million others.
Concerns about bird flu have been heightened in Sumberagung by a recent case of the disease in the village.