E. Kalimantan oil worker suspected of suffering from SARS

An employee of an oil and gas production sharing contractor has been hospitalized in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, after being suspected of suffering from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), local daily Balikpapan Post reported Saturday.

The man, a Balikpapan resident, had arrived home after traveling to Malaysia, the paper quoted as saying Antung Asbad, head of Balikpapan City?s health affairs office. He did not identify him.

Antung said doctors at a Balikpapan hospital were intensively examining the patient so as to determine the real cause of his illness.

He said further that his office had taken precautionary measures to anticipate a possible spread of SARS in East Kalimantan.

They had examined airline passengers arriving in Balikpapan?s Sepinggan airport from overseas, Antung said.

Meanwhile, spokesman of the country?s upstream oil and gas authority, L. Harijanto, told Petromindo.Com that they were trying to seek confirmation on the SARS case report.

Indonesia now joins 18 other countries that have reported SARS cases. Indonesia?s first probable case of SARS involved a 47-year-old British who is being treated at a hospital in Jakarta.

SARS reportedly has killed 116 people worldwide including Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. (godang)