REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - Indonesian Ministry of Health asks international airports across the country to thoroughly check passengers travelling from China to prevent the spreading of H7N9 avian influenza. The virulent virus is outbreak in China, affected 28 and killed nine people.

"We inform large airports to check passengers who travel from China's bird flu-affected provinces," Director General of Disease Control and Environmental Health at the Ministry of Health, Tjandra Yoga Aditama, said on Wednesday.

Aditama said the ministry had taken immediate steps to anticipate the spreading of H7N9 in Indonesia by circulating warning letters to international airports and ports. He added that lab test showed that the current bird flu medicine could be used to cure patients infected by H7N9. "The virus H7N9 does not resist to certain medicine," he said.

Earlier, Indonesian Ministry of Health beefs up monitoring distribution in quarantine agency in airports. Government also asked several hospitals to contain patients infected by avian influenza and take the virus sample to nearest lab. He said that government would reactivate Zoonosis National Commission to gather data of animal based communicable disease.

Several sea ports in Indonesia have also increase their alertness. Official at Tanjung Priok Port, Sofyan Gumelar, said the port would monitor every freighter coming from all countries, including from China.

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