In an effort to curb the spread of the lethal disease in the country, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has announced the launching of a bird flu monitoring system, called "Village Preparedness", which will hopefully be implemented within the span of one month.
The "Village Preparedness" scheme, which would involve millions of people at village level, is being launched in order to speed up the reporting of any outbreak. under this scheme, at least five personnel will be appointed to monitor bird flu cases among both birds and humans in every village. Doctors will also be trained to handle bird flu cases.The president has also urged regions to handle avian influenza outbreak seriously, aimed at stopping the outbreak of the disease in the country, and has warned local administrations against presenting him with fabricated "good news" on bird flu, as this will only result in the situation worsening and more people falling victim to the virus.
The president stressed the need for cooperation and support from the entire nation as well as the tenacity of all heads of the regions for the scheme to succeed.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed seven human deaths from the H5N1 strain of avian influenza in Indonesia.
