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Internews Addresses Health and Safety of Reporters Covering Avian Flu

Ester Hutabarat/Internews Indonesia Internews trainee David Simbolon of V Radio (right) and trainer Sonny Inbaraj (left) interview Professor Luhur Suroso in the hospital room where an avian flu survivor is recovering. Professor Luhur is the head of a special medical team treating the patient in Medan's Adam Malik Hospital.

(July 16, 2006) “Though human-to-human transmission of avian flu still has not been confirmed scientifically, you need to take precautions while covering the issue in the field,” Professor Luhur Suroso, the avian influenza team head in Medan’s Adam Malik Hospital, told journalists at an Internews training in North Sumatra on June 12.

“There are basic measures you can take to reduce your chances of catching and spreading the disease,” said the chest specialist. “Wearing face masks and gloves should be compulsory for reporters,” he added.

Internews trainees heeded Professor Luhur’s advice two days later when they interviewed, with permission from hospital authorities, a man being treated for avian flu. The patient is part of a large family cluster of bird flu cases that emerged in Karo, North Sumatra. He was admitted to the hospital May 8, along with seven members of his family and is the only one who survived.

“I really want to go back home but I’m still traumatized by the deaths of my family members,” the survivor told David Simbolon of V Radio, one of the Internews trainees.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has admitted it was having difficulty identifying the source of bird flu infection in Karo. This North Sumatra case is Indonesia's largest cluster to date and has raised fears of a probable human-to-human transmission of the virus, as well as heightened concerns about a deadly global flu pandemic.

On May 19 the Indonesian health ministry announced that tests on chickens and pigs from the area showed that the animals are negative for H5N1, the virus causing the current avian flu scare.

According to WHO, Indonesia has 49 confirmed avian flu cases with 38 deaths to date. This is the second highest number of fatal human bird flu cases after Vietnam.

The Medan training is the fifth in a series of Internews workshops for journalists across Indonesia covering avian flu, conducted with support from UNICEF. Starting in May, Internews held a series of workshops in Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya and Semarang. The next workshop in mid-June will be in Makassar, Sulawesi, culminating with a roundtable discussion with editors in Jakarta in July. 

An important part of the training focuses on the health risks posed to news teams covering avian flu outbreaks and also on preparations that news organisations should be making for their reporters before they are sent out to the field to report stories on the illness.

“I really feel strongly that the issue of health and safety of reporters covering avian flu must be addressed by the management of news organizations,” said Daenk Haryono of the Harian Global daily.

“Many times I’ve seen my colleagues go out to the field, not aware that they should be at least be wearing masks and gloves,” he added. “I’m glad that at this Internews training this issue is strongly addressed.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Wayne Sharpe, Internews Indonesia Country Director