Bali is now declared in emergency status for H1N1 after one suspect being confirmed as infected, Head of Bali Health Office, dr. Nyoman Suteja announced on Friday, June 26th. “WHO has declared pandemic status of the disease. Whist the the confirmed case involved foreign visitor, the case was the first in Bali and therefore Bali now is in emergency status”, he said.

In this respect, every related institutions are expected to increase their alertness including government and private operated clinics and medical facilities especially those located in tourist areas. “We will add more paramedics in Ngurah Rai International Airport. We have also added more thermal scanners”, he added.

Airport authority has also asked Bali Health Office to add more masks. “We advised hotels to also provide masks in their lobby and give them to visitors originating from infected countries”, he explained.

Supply of Tamiflu is considered sufficient with 14,000 doses of buffer stock in addition to extra 3,000 doses per regency/city from the central government, summing up to a total of 35,000 doses throughout the island. Sanglah central hospital will add more capacity in isolation ward to anticipate potential increase in incoming patients. “We now have 8, and if necessary we will expand isolation to another 15 beds on the second floor, totaling up to 23″, Head of Medical Service Department of Sanglah General Hospital, dr. Gusti Lanang Suartana explained.

If even more needed, regional hospital en every regency will be activated. “In this case, the hospitals in Tabanan and Gianyar, the neares regencies to Denpasar are ready”, he added. Whist two patients has been confirmed in H1N1 infection, other medical installations close to issolation ward remains in full operation. Both patients and their accompanies did not wear masks. Lanang explained that issolation ward was safe as it employed negative pressure system to eliminate virus before they went off to the open air. “Air coming from the issolation ward is clean”, he said.