PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

U.S. Embassy Notice to Americans

April 27, 2009

U.S. Embassy Jakarta
U.S. Consulate General Surabaya
U.S. Consulate Medan

Title:  H1N1 Flu Outbreak

H1N1 Influenza is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza that regularly causes outbreaks of influenza among pigs. H1N1 Flu viruses do not normally infect humans; however, human infections with H1N1 Flu do occur, and cases of human-to-human spread of H1N1 Flu viruses have been documented. 

We understand that Indonesian authorities may screen arriving travelers for infectious diseases.  The symptoms of H1N1 Flu in people are similar to the symptoms of regular human flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting associated with H1N1 Flu Outbreak.  In the past, severe illness (pneumonia and respiratory failure) and deaths have been reported with H1N1 Flu infection in humans.  Like seasonal flu, H1N1 Flu may cause a worsening of underlying chronic medical conditions.  Those experiencing any of these influenza-like symptoms mentioned above and who have recently traveled to Mexico or to areas in the U.S. experiencing H1N1 influenza cases should contact their doctor to see if additional testing or treatment is recommended. 

People are encouraged to follow the everyday actions listed below that can help prevent the spread of germs that cause respiratory illnesses like the influenza illness. 

--Avoid close contact with people who are sick.  When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too. 

--If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick.  You will help prevent others from catching your illness. 

--Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.  It may prevent those around you from getting sick. 

--Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs.  Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.  Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food. 

Addition information on H1N1 Flu Outbreak and pandemic influenza can also be accessed through www.pandemicflu.gov and www.travel.state.gov

Register with the U.S. Embassy and Consulate

Americans living and traveling in Indonesia are urged to register and update their contact information with the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, U.S. Consulate General in Surabaya, U.S. Consulate Medan or U.S. Consular Agency in Bali.  Registration facilitates the U.S. Mission’s contact with Americans in emergency situations, and registration may be done on the internet and in advance of travel.  Information on registering can be found at the U.S. Department of State’s Consular Affairs website at http://travelregistration.state.gov and at the Embassy’s website at http://jakarta.usembassy.gov.  The Embassy website posts all Travel Warnings, Travel Alerts, Worldwide Cautions, and recent warden messages.

Sign Up for SMS Alerts

Americans are also strongly recommended to sign up for the Short Message Service (SMS) alerts.  SMS messages are sent out only to relay critical and important information to American registrants. To sign up compose a SMS on your Indonesian cell phone using the following format and send it to phone number 9388. 

REG<space>ALRT<space>LASTNAME#FIRSTNAME

Sample: REG ALRT BROWN#JOHN

After registering for the service, each subscriber will receive a SMS message confirming their registration with the system. Subscribers will be charged Rp1,000 per SMS message by the cell phone service provider for each message sent to you by the Embassy. 

For the latest security information, Americans living and traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs Internet web site at http://travel.state.gov , where the current Worldwide Caution, Travel Alerts, and Travel Warnings can be found.  Up-to-date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the U.S. and Canada, or, for callers outside the U.S. and Canada, a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444.  These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).

The Embassy is located at Jalan Medan Merdeka Selatan No. 4-5, Jakarta; the 24-hour telephone number is 62-21-3435-9000.  The telephone number of the U.S. Consulate General in Surabaya is 62-31-295-6400; the number for the U.S. Consulate in Medan is 62-61-415-2200; the number for the U.S. Consular Agency in Bali is 62-361-233-605.