According to the Islamic regulation, Pork (= Pig/Swine Meat) is considered as a food that is Haram (forbidden), therefore cannot be consumed by a Muslim.
Considering this regulation, I was very shocked when I read media report last week ago about 300 Santri/Students at the Dar Qolam Islamic school in Tangerang, Banten, have been suspected of being infected by the Swine Flu.
I was more shocked when the media reported that 8 Santri at the Gontor Islamic school in Ponorogo East Java, have also been suspected of being infected by the virus.
For details on the above media reports, please click here, here and here.
Due to the fact that those Santri do not consume Pork/Pig/Swine Meat therefore they must have been infected by the virus through other sources i.e either through contacts with others who have been infected or through the air that they breath. Whatever the reasons are, I hope that those Santri would not feel so humiliated because they have been infected by virus originating from Pig/Swine.
Morever, the above incidents show that the Swine Flu or H1N1 Virus can infect anyone in Indonesia, therefore a much more serious and harder efforts should be made to stop the spread.
Showing posts with label Swine Flu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Swine Flu. Show all posts
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Saturday, July 11, 2009
H1N1 Virus (Swine Flu)
This evening, Indonesian TV stations have been reporting the news about 12 members of the Indonesia Elfa Musician Group have been infected by the Swine Flu (H1N1 virus) while they were visiting South Korea.
This news is very alarming because earlier Kompas reported the Swine Flu which is now called H1N1 virus has been spreading rapidly in Indonesia since last June. The Minister of Health Siti Fadila Supari was quoted as saying that as per 9 July 2009 52 persons were suspected to be infected by the virus. Whereas last month, there were only 28 persons suspected. The worst thing is that in Indonesia the virus has spread from one human being to another human being, in which 12 persons have been suspected.
Due to which fact, the Department of Health has installed Thermal Sensors equipments at the entrance gates of airports and seaports. Hospitals will provide Tamflu. Beside that, the Minister urged the public to practise healthy life by washing hands and wear mask whenever they catched flu.
Considering the above, I hope that the government will take necessary steps to prevent the H1N1 virus from spreading any further, by conducting strict check on anyone arriving from countries known to be sources of the virus, like Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, and stop importation of Pork.
Image:Courtesy of BK Marcus
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Globalization of the Swine Flu
Last year, we were frightened by the outbreak of the Avian Flu in China, that spread to other parts of Asia, including Indonesia.
According to The Jakarta Globe, 119 people in Indonesia has has died because of the Avian Flu, which is the highest fatalities in the world.
While experts are still looking for the best medicine to cure this virus, suddenly the media reported about the outbreak of the Swine Flu Virus in Mexico killing more than 100 people, and spread to the United States of America, New Zealand and Australia.
Now that the Swine Flu has become Epidemic, many people would be vulnerable to this virus. Therefore, it is very important for us to take necessary steps to avoid the spread of this virus, as suggested by the Bernstein Crisis Management:
(1) Learn about Swine Flu e.g by visiting website of Center for Disease Control (CDC)which described that its symptom is similar to regular seasonal Human Flu i.e Fever, Lethargy, loss of Appetite, Coughing, and it cannot be spread by eating Pork.
(2) Anyone who catches Flu while traveling to Mexico should go to the doctor ASAP
(3) Employers should ensure that all employees know of this threat and are urged to report symptoms in themselves or others immediately
(4) Be prepared for business interruptions if your workforce is impacted; health officials could even quarantine groups of people who they believe have had direct contact with someone already infected.
(5) Have messaging ready for clients or customers who want to know what you're doing to protect them.
(6) If you have operations in Mexico, strongly consider a temporary freeze on outbound travel by employees there and inbound travel by employees already out of the country.
(7) Retail food organizations may get some customer fear about consuming pork. As noted above, the disease can't be spread that way. Nonetheless, your employees CAN spread the disease and common sense measures that are probably already in place(e.g. handwashing) should probably be the focus of refresher training.
(8) This disease spreads easily and become epidemics because people are not worried about it and do not take extra precautions.
As a country with Moslem majority who do not consume Swine/Pig/Pork, it is important for the people in Indonesia to understand that the Swine Flu does not spread through the consumption of Pork, but spreads just like a regular seasonal human Flu. This means that the virus can spread to anyone. And the best way to avoid it is by being healthy and watch out for any signs of Flu like Fever, Coughing, Lethargy. If there is any sign, we should immediately go to the doctor, Beside that we should also avoid going to countries where the virus has spread.
According to The Jakarta Globe, 119 people in Indonesia has has died because of the Avian Flu, which is the highest fatalities in the world.
While experts are still looking for the best medicine to cure this virus, suddenly the media reported about the outbreak of the Swine Flu Virus in Mexico killing more than 100 people, and spread to the United States of America, New Zealand and Australia.
Now that the Swine Flu has become Epidemic, many people would be vulnerable to this virus. Therefore, it is very important for us to take necessary steps to avoid the spread of this virus, as suggested by the Bernstein Crisis Management:
(1) Learn about Swine Flu e.g by visiting website of Center for Disease Control (CDC)which described that its symptom is similar to regular seasonal Human Flu i.e Fever, Lethargy, loss of Appetite, Coughing, and it cannot be spread by eating Pork.
(2) Anyone who catches Flu while traveling to Mexico should go to the doctor ASAP
(3) Employers should ensure that all employees know of this threat and are urged to report symptoms in themselves or others immediately
(4) Be prepared for business interruptions if your workforce is impacted; health officials could even quarantine groups of people who they believe have had direct contact with someone already infected.
(5) Have messaging ready for clients or customers who want to know what you're doing to protect them.
(6) If you have operations in Mexico, strongly consider a temporary freeze on outbound travel by employees there and inbound travel by employees already out of the country.
(7) Retail food organizations may get some customer fear about consuming pork. As noted above, the disease can't be spread that way. Nonetheless, your employees CAN spread the disease and common sense measures that are probably already in place(e.g. handwashing) should probably be the focus of refresher training.
(8) This disease spreads easily and become epidemics because people are not worried about it and do not take extra precautions.
As a country with Moslem majority who do not consume Swine/Pig/Pork, it is important for the people in Indonesia to understand that the Swine Flu does not spread through the consumption of Pork, but spreads just like a regular seasonal human Flu. This means that the virus can spread to anyone. And the best way to avoid it is by being healthy and watch out for any signs of Flu like Fever, Coughing, Lethargy. If there is any sign, we should immediately go to the doctor, Beside that we should also avoid going to countries where the virus has spread.
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