Indonesian Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari said Indonesia up to now was still free from influenza A (H1N1) virus or swine flu, ANTARA reported. "The results of tests conducted on blood samples of three people suspected to have been infected with the influenza A virus were negative," the minister said here on Saturday. Previously, three people, one Indonesian worker in East Java who had just returned from Taiwan, one journalist from China who covered the annual meeting of the ADB in Bali and an expatriate from Australia, were suspected to have been infected with the swine flu virus. "The health conditions of the three people have improved. The Australian national who was admitted to Sulianti Saroso infection reference hospital has also recovered and has been allowed to go home," the minister said. Minister Supari said that the government continued to monitor and to be on alert over the possible spreading of the infectious disease by preparing health service infrastructure and facilities, medication and paramedics. "We are ready with various anticipatory efforts and vigilant plans to face possible swine flu pandemic. The H5N1 extra-ordinary incident alert status has not yet been lifted so that we still have the needed facilities," she said. The minister said that the government was also reinforcing the capacity of health post at ports (KKP) to monitor people`s mobilization from overseas in an effort to conduct early detection of the H1N1 strain of influenza A virus. She said that at present the government had set up 80 KKP, of which 25 were situated at the international flight lanes. At KKPs at international lane points, thermal detectors were installed and health alert cards were imposed on foreigners while clinics, paramedics, isolation rooms, self-protector devices and medicines were also prepared. The government had also prepared 100 reference hospitals which had previously served as reference hospitals for bird flu patients, as well as laboratories for sample examinations, the minister said.
