National

USA Not to Issue Travel Warning
Friday, 23 September, 2005 | 14:02 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:The US government will not issue a travel warning despite the bird flu disease in Indonesia.

The US Ambassador for Indonesia, Lynn Pascoe, has said that any such warning will not be issued.

“Such a warning will not be issued because there is yet to be any proof of spreading of the virus from human to human,” Pascoe told reporters after the signing of an agreement to send provide earthquake handling experts in Jakarta on Thursday afternoon (22/09).

Pascoe said that up to now, the disease had only spread from animals to humans, and a team of experts from the USA was already in Indonesia.

On Friday (23/09), this team, consisting of five people, is to meet Coordinating Minister for People’s Welfare Alwi Shihab.

The US Embassy’s Press Attaché, Max Kwak, said that the team members came from the US agriculture department, USAID, US Public Health Center and US Disease Control Center.

The team is in Indonesia from September 18 to September 24 in order to seek possibilities of providing support to Indonesia in the handling of the virus.

“To find out facts related to the disease, as well as to meet with the Indonesian health minister and NGOs,” stated Kwak.

According to Kwak, his government has disbursed US$1 million to Indonesia to assist in the handling of the disease.

The US Congress has approved an additional budget of US$25 million for the handling of the bird flu virus in Asia. (Istiqomatul Hayati-Tempo News Room)