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October 4, 2006

Fatalism and Flu

While bird flu has yet to mutate into a form that merits all the worrying, that is not the same as saying it will never become a more serious problem for humans. With that in mind, a quote in a recent Bloomberg piece on the disease's staying power in southeast Asia is worth noting:

The deadly avian influenza doesn't faze Setyabudi, who raises chickens and pigeons at his home in Jakarta, Indonesia's capital.

"Why should we be afraid of bird flu?'' says the 39-year- old janitor, who uses a single name, as he caresses a pigeon. "People die because it is God's will.''

Fatalism, geography and a lack of money are hindering Indonesia's battle against bird flu, as public health officials say the struggle to avert a global pandemic may hinge on the Southeast Asian nation. The world's fourth-most populous country will spend $54.4 million to fight the disease this year, a fifth of what is needed, the government says.

"It's the No. 1 place that we should be concentrating our efforts on identifying outbreaks and containing them,'' says Ira Longini, an epidemiologist at the University of Washington in Seattle and an adviser to the U.S. on influenza issues.

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