I'm sure you've read about this on other blogs (what? you read other blogs?), but it is just too juicy and too emblematic not to comment on here. Well, I won't actually comment on it. It is self-parodying:
Indonesia claimed a major victory in the fight against bird flu Thursday, saying the heart of the capital had been cleared of backyard fowl and that residents elsewhere were handing in chickens for slaughter.
But poultry could still be seen roaming freely in suburban neighborhoods and some people hid pet birds in their homes, raising doubts the campaign would prevent further human deaths in the country hardest hit by the virus.
"I can guarantee there are no backyard birds in Central Jakarta," said Muhayat, the mayor, who uses a single name. "The people here are now fully aware of the disease and voluntarily culled their birds."
[snip]
Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari said Indonesia has considered naming bird flu a national disaster -- a step that would mean money from the state budget's disaster fund could be spent on fighting it. (AP)
yeah - I thought that was cute when I saw it as well. Typical political behavior. If you admit a problem then it requires your bureaucrcy to respond whereas if there is no problem then you have to do nothing. Likewise if the problem is solved you need do nothing.
Can chickens swim? News footage of Jakarta floods today looked like not many could have survived otherwise?! People swimming to get out of all that disgusting water laden with virus - yuck!! If ever there were a 'mixing vessel' that has to be it!
no mention, that the human viruses don't match the
chicken viruses in Jakarta.
Neither by Muhayat, nor by Supari nor by Kandun
nor by WHO nor by CDC nor by revere.
The humans don't get it from the chickens.
As someone who works for a public health organization and actually lives in Jakarta I have to point out that enacting legislation that says nothing about enforcement is the norm around here. Jakarta's smoking ban and the supposed regulation on car emissions are never enforced. Also note that no money was allocated to compensate people for culling their own chickens. This is standard fare in Indonesia.
I was actually observing the meeting where this decision was made. After the human cases in Jakarta and Tangerang in early January the national committee on avian influenza (KOMNAS) called a meeting. The minister of health, the minister of agriculture and the minister of welfare all sat on one side of the table and lobbied. The have no real power in this incredibly decentralized country so lobbying is all they can really do. The governor and district decision makers sat on the other side of the table. The minister of health is nuts at one point she slammed her palm on the table and demanded that all the birds in Jakarta should be killed in three days. When one the district representatives (who actually can make things happen on the ground and has power) pointed out that action this drastic would take time she cut him off and yelled THREE DAYS!!! Meanwhile the ministry of agriculture which should be representing hundreds of poultry raisers and sellers was silent.
I am also moved to point out that while three or four people have died of AI over the last month here in Indonesia, about 1,500 people have contracted dengue fever and 8 have died of it in Jakarta alone. Indonesia knows that the west is only interested in HPAI because theres a possibility it will one day effect the rest of the world, not because 50-something Indonesians died of it last year. And since its not killing as many people as dengue or malaria or TB or probably even diarrhea and its not having a major effect on their economy (usually its backyard chickens, not commercial facilities that are effected) the government continues to avoid enforcing the kind draconian measures that might help protect us from a pandemic but would be politically unpopular. Such is life in a huge, decentralized democracy. Sigh.
Margo: Thanks for the reality check. All is consistent with what I have heard and can see going on. While statements might mean one thing to Indonesians, they mean something else to the rest of the world when reported in the newspaper, so it is useful to hear the views of someone on the ground. Thanks.