Indonesia: One Human Bird Flu Death Every 2.5 Days In Month Of May

Indonesia will soon pass Vietnam as the hardest-hit region from bird flu. The month of May was a particularly deadly month due to several clusters of human bird flu deaths with the most lethal cluster surfacing in the Sumatra region of the country. With resources already stretched to the limit, Indonesia was dealt another significant blow on Saturday, May 27th as a major earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter Scale, killed over 6,200 people and destroyed upwards of 135,000 homes. So now this fiscally challenged archipelago of 17,000 islands must simultaneously grapple with two severe crisis and the very decentralized nature of the region makes both relief and fact-finding efforts exponentially more difficult and dangerous.

One can't possibly fathom another disaster hitting this weary population, and yet as I pen this post, concern is growing that one of the country's most deadly peaks, Mount Merapi volcano might erupt at any moment which would immediately require the evacuation of approx. 1 million people from the surrounding area.

"I don't think anyone can understand it unless you come here and see it for yourself," said Steven Bjorge, a WHO epidemiologist in Jakarta. "The amount of decentralization here is breathtaking." He said health ministry officials will often meet with outside experts to formulate plans to fight bird flu, but the schemes are rarely realized.

"Their power only extends to the walls of their office," Bjorge said, adding their advice must reach nearly 450 districts, where local officials decide whether to take action in a nation that spans roughly the width of the United States.

The WHO, Red Cross and teams of aid workers, volunteers and journalists from all over the world are currently working to help Indonesia recover from the devastation and provide assistance and planning for ongoing threats like volcanic eruptions and bird flu. If you would like to help Indonesia recover from these tragedies, please consider donating to the Canadian Red Cross (see link in our sidebar). The Canadian Red Cross will permit you to specify where your funds will be designated.

"There is a very strong spirit of working together and coordination is very good," said Simon Missiri, Head of the International Federation’s Asia Pacific Department. "The support of governments, National Societies and private donors has been crucial in enabling the Indonesian Red Cross and International Federation to mount a major relief effort both quickly and effectively," Missiri added.

[ReliefWeb]
Bird flu explodes in Indonesia [OhmyNews]

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Indonesia: One Human Bird Flu Death Every 2.5 Days In Month Of May

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