Mothers Against Bird Flu
February 25, 2007 by Grace Ibay
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
”The (Indonesian) government’s campaign against bird flu does not reach the people at the grassroots level,” complains a parent from West Java.
Because of this common sentiment, a group of Indonesian moms decided to take matters in their own hands by organizing a talk show on the bird flu. Some of the topcs addressed were basic information about the nature of H5N1, how families should treat sick of dying poultry and what to do if they do get flu-like symptoms. The audience was a mixture of association members, school drivers, students and teachers. After showing a flm titled ‘Race against the Killer Flu’ they bombarded the speaker with questions like -
”Why is bird flu present in Indonesia, but not in other countries?” “Which part of our body is affected by the H5N1 virus?” “What is the difference between H5N1 virus and HIV?” ”Can vaccination alone stop the outbreak of the virus among birds?” “How do humans get infected with the H5N1 virus?”
- which goes to show that a little effort like this can go a long way to opening more interest and action from the public. Maybe the Indonesian government can learn a little from these moms.
Now to be fair, the government does have television campaigns. But really, how many rural villages have a TV set, and like the rest of the world, “Indonesian viewers switch to other channels during commercial breaks.”
Source: IPS News
Tags: flu, bird flu, influenza, viral disease, illness, health, medicine, prevention
