'Mad cow, bird flu ... should I stop eating?'

After keeping it secret from the public for five months, an outbreak of avian influenza, or bird flu in the country has been confirmed by the government. But despite the World Health Organization's recommendation of a mass culling of poultry, the government has refused standard measures.

Among possible recriminations of the tardy response to the outbreak, is a misinformed public. The Jakarta Post spoke to some city residents about the issue:

Euis, 28, is a waitress at a food stall in Gelora subdistrict, Central Jakarta. She lives with her family nearby:

I don't know what bird flu is, I have never heard of it.

We still have chicken and eggs on our menu, and nothing was left when we closed in the afternoon.

Our employer always buys food from the supermarket, she says that chicken, eggs, fruit and vegetables sold at the traditional market are not as hygienic.

Yanti, 27, works as a graphic designer for an advertising company on Jl. Jend. Sudirman, Central Jakarta. She lives with her parents in Pluit, North Jakarta:

I think the world is getting closer to its end as there are so many diseases emerging nowadays. Before, it was mad cow disease, now it's bird flu. Who knows what is next.

I'm quite scared about this bird flu thing, you know. The government says that there won't be a mass culling of poultry. I ask myself just how precious human lives in Indonesia are? Are they nothing compared to the lives of chicken?

So now, I have stopped eating chicken and try to eat fish instead. I hope this is okay as, otherwise, I don't know what else to eat. Maybe I should be a vegetarian. It's healthier, although some vegetables are contaminated with pesticides. Maybe I should just stop eating!

--The Jakarta Post