HEALTH MINISTER : BIRDFLU CASES IN RI DOWN

Medan, June 18 (ANTARA) - Minister of Healthy Siti Fadilah Supari said that in the last 6 months the number of cases of birdflu on human beings in Indonesia had declined significantly.

In the beginning of the second semester of 2008 the number of the birdflu cases on human beings had dropped, and the number has even reached the lowest compared to those in 2005, 2006 and 2007, she said in the company of Head of the North Sumatra Health Agency dr Chandra Syafei Sp.OG and member of the North Sumatra Regional Representatives Council (DPD) Parlindungan Purba upon arrival at Medan's Polonia airport on Wednesday.

The minister said that the main cause of the decline in the birdflu cases on human beings is the fact that people have now become increasingly aware that one should do something as soon as he or she found out that he or she had the symptoms of being affected with this fatal virus.

At present each regional administration has a guidebook on birdflu for distribution to all layers of the society.

"Thank God we already have a handbook on birdflu, and we also have the support from some other countries, including Australia, Germany, India, and China," she said.

The minister also said that as the result of foreign media reports in 2006 that birdflu in Indonesia had already been transmitted from people to people after a whole family in Karo Regency, North Sumatra, had been affected by the birdflu virus, Indonesia had been avoided by the international community.

At that time seven of a family of eight died of the disease, but the only survivor, Jones Ginting, was cured and checked out of hospital, she added.