Tweet
Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2...%E2%80%99.html
Indonesia ?needs CDC-like agency?
Luh De Suriyani , The Jakarta Post , Denpasar | Mon, 01/25/2010 11:18 AM | Bali
Indonesia needs to establish an epidemic mitigation agency, similar to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the US, a virus expert said Saturday.
?An equivalent of the CDC would enable the government to provide rapid and effective measures against epidemics as well as give the government the capability to continuously monitor and study the development of possible epidemics,? Prof. I Gusti Ngurah Kade Mahardika said in his acceptance speech to faculty members of Udayana University.
The German-educated scientist was honored with the title of professor in front of a packed ceremony at the university?s main campus in Bukit, Jimbaran.
Known for his jovial character and no-nonsense attitude, Mahardika is one of only a handful of the island?s academics who have actively and passionately campaigned for comprehensive measures against epidemics to be put in place following the outbreak of the H1N1 virus.
Mahardika has identified a lack of coordination among government agencies in terms of which body has the authority and responsibility to deal with epidemics. The lack of coordination, he said, had prevented the government from providing a unified and comprehensive strategy.
?We need a government agency that is tasked solely with mitigating epidemics. That agency must be given clear authority to devise and enforce scientifically tested strategies to deal with ongoing and possible epidemics.?
Mahardika believes the CNC is the perfect model for a similar agency in Indonesia.
?If an epidemic occurs in the US, all the available resources are automatically placed under the CDC?s command and all government agencies are perfectly aware that under such circumstances the CDC has the last say on every aspect mitigating the epidemic,? he said
He also warned the resort island was vulnerable to epidemics due to its high human and animal population.
?It is a small island with a high-density population. It has a large human population as well as a large animal population, including animals that have been identified as vectors for the epidemic,? he said, adding the island was most vulnerable to the rabies, H1N1 and H5N1 epidemics.
The epidemic, he pointed out, had not only claimed human lives, but had also harmed the island?s economy.
?The public scare that followed the outbreak of H5N1, previously known as swine flu, cost the local farm industry more than Rp 200 billion per year in financial losses,? he said.
Indonesia ?needs CDC-like agency?
Luh De Suriyani , The Jakarta Post , Denpasar | Mon, 01/25/2010 11:18 AM | Bali
Indonesia needs to establish an epidemic mitigation agency, similar to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the US, a virus expert said Saturday.
?An equivalent of the CDC would enable the government to provide rapid and effective measures against epidemics as well as give the government the capability to continuously monitor and study the development of possible epidemics,? Prof. I Gusti Ngurah Kade Mahardika said in his acceptance speech to faculty members of Udayana University.
The German-educated scientist was honored with the title of professor in front of a packed ceremony at the university?s main campus in Bukit, Jimbaran.
Known for his jovial character and no-nonsense attitude, Mahardika is one of only a handful of the island?s academics who have actively and passionately campaigned for comprehensive measures against epidemics to be put in place following the outbreak of the H1N1 virus.
Mahardika has identified a lack of coordination among government agencies in terms of which body has the authority and responsibility to deal with epidemics. The lack of coordination, he said, had prevented the government from providing a unified and comprehensive strategy.
?We need a government agency that is tasked solely with mitigating epidemics. That agency must be given clear authority to devise and enforce scientifically tested strategies to deal with ongoing and possible epidemics.?
Mahardika believes the CNC is the perfect model for a similar agency in Indonesia.
?If an epidemic occurs in the US, all the available resources are automatically placed under the CDC?s command and all government agencies are perfectly aware that under such circumstances the CDC has the last say on every aspect mitigating the epidemic,? he said
He also warned the resort island was vulnerable to epidemics due to its high human and animal population.
?It is a small island with a high-density population. It has a large human population as well as a large animal population, including animals that have been identified as vectors for the epidemic,? he said, adding the island was most vulnerable to the rabies, H1N1 and H5N1 epidemics.
The epidemic, he pointed out, had not only claimed human lives, but had also harmed the island?s economy.
?The public scare that followed the outbreak of H5N1, previously known as swine flu, cost the local farm industry more than Rp 200 billion per year in financial losses,? he said.