Flu Babi Berpotensi Berkembang di Indonesia

SURABAYA, KOMPAS.com — Flu babi yang menular ke manusia berpotensi berkembang di Indonesia. Namun, hampir dapat dipastikan keganasan flu babi Meksiko di bawah flu unggas yang telah mewabah di Indonesia.

Kepala Laboratorium Flu Unggas Universitas Airlangga CA Nidom mengatakan, flu babi sebenarnya sudah lazim. Penyakit dengan virus H1N1 di Indonesia sudah ada sejak dulu. Subtipe di Indonesia atau H1N1 klasik tidak berbahaya. "H1N1 tipe Meksiko yang dikenal sebagai flu babi sekarang inilah yang berbahaya," katanya di Surabaya, Selasa (28/4).

Berdasarkan riset Pusat Pengendalian dan Pencegahan Penyakit Amerika Serikat, H1N1 tipe Meksiko diduga kuat gabungan flu unggas, flu babi, dan flu manusia. Virus kemungkinan berubah di tubuh babi.

"Sejak 2005, saya sudah melontarkan hipotesis ini. Saya sudah khawatir ini bakal terjadi. Akhir tahun lalu saya kembali mengingatkan potensi bahaya ini. Namun, sebagian kalangan masih menentang," ujarnya.

Virus yang berubah di tubuh babi lebih mungkin menular ke manusia. Pasalnya, manusia dan babi sama-sama mamalia yang cenderung memiliki kesamaan. Sebaliknya, flu unggas tidak bisa langsung ke manusia.

"Secara teoretis, virus di unggas tidak bisa langsung ke mamalia seperti manusia. Harus ada perantara mamalia lain dan itu kemungkinan besar babi," katanya.

Di tubuh babi, virus mengalami perubahan dengan dua pola. Pola pertama berupa adaptasi. "Kalau ini terjadi, dampaknya tidak terlalu berbahaya karena tidak ada perubahan struktur virus," ujarnya.

Pola kedua berupa penyusunan ulang virus. Berdasarkan pola ini, virus bisa berkembang menjadi gabungan flu babi, flu unggas, dan flu manusia. "Jika menyimak penjelasan di AS, ada kemungkinan reassortan (penyusunan ulang)," ujarnya.

Jika hal itu terjadi, tidak tertutup kemungkinan flu babi bisa berkembang di Indonesia. Salah satu pendukungnya adalah banyaknya peternakan ayam dan babi yang berdekatan. "Sejak flu unggas merebak, saya sudah mengemukakan pentingnya menata ulang peternakan," tuturnya.

Namun, di sisi lain, keganasan H1N1 tipe Meksiko tidak seperti H5N1. Dari sekitar 1.500 kasus di seluruh dunia, baru 150 berakhir dengan kematian. "Virus ini cepat menyebar, tetapi daya rusaknya rendah. Sebaliknya H5N1 lambat menyebar. Namun, daya rusaknya amat tinggi," ujarnya.

Kurang dari sebulan, H1N1 tipe Meksiko sudah menjangkiti ribuan orang. Sementara dalam tiga tahun, kasus H5N1 hanya tercatat sekitar 300 kasus di seluruh dunia. "Saya khawatir kalau hasil penyusunan ulang menghasilkan virus cepat menular dan daya rusaknya tinggi. Syukur sejauh ini belum menunjukkan tanda ke sana," ujar Nidom.

Assertiveness Training

Assertiveness Training

Mark Dombeck, Ph.D. and Jolyn Wells-Moran, Ph.D.

Assertiveness Training suggests that there are essentially three different ways that people can relate to one another. They can be: 1) aggressive, 2) passive or 3) assertive. Most people come to assertiveness training already understanding what aggression and passivity mean, but they don't understand assertiveness at all, at first.

Aggression is about dominance. A person is aggressive when they impose their will onto another person and force them to submit, in effect invading that person's personal space and boundary. Violence may be used in this effort, but it is not a necessary component of aggression. Passivity, on the other hand is about submission. Passivity occurs when a person submits to another person's dominance play, putting their own wishes and desires aside so as to pay attention to fulfilling the wishes and desires of their dominant partner. They may not like being dominated (most people don't), but it seems like the smart thing to do at the time (perhaps to avoid the threat of violence or other coercion). Aggression is about domination and invasion; it is fundamentally disrespectful of relationship partner's personal boundaries. Passivity is about submission and being invaded; it is fundamentally disrespectful of one's own personal boundaries.

In contrast to these two fundamentally disrespectful positions, assertiveness is about finding a middle way between aggression and passivity that best respects the personal boundaries of all relationship partners. Assertive people defend themselves when someone else attempts to dominate them, using any necessary method (including force) to repel the invasion attempt. Though they can be strong people who are capable of aggressive domination attempts, they never act in an aggressive manner, however, because they know that to do so would cause them to disrespect their relationship partner's boundaries. Another way to say this is that assertive people use aggression defensively, and never offensively.

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There are many classic examples of assertive behavior in history that you can draw upon for guidance and inspiration. The examples of Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King come to mind readily, however. Both were leaders of oppressed, invaded groups who were dominated by an upper class (British colonials in the case of Gandhi, and the American white establishment in the case of Dr. King). Both leaders came to a realization that submission to the ruling powers was no longer working and that something drastic had to happen. Both leaders chose a path of non-violent resistance - this is what makes their behavior assertive rather than aggressive and what separates them from run-of-the-mill freedom fighters everywhere. Their commitment to non-violent resistance is what made them great. Both leaders demonstrated and protested against their oppression by the powers that held them down, but did so in a manner that respected the people wielding those powers to not themselves be violently targeted or oppressed. Both stuck to their posture of assertive protest despite becoming targets for escalating violence against their person, their families and the people they represented. In the end, both succeeded in making important reform occur, even if only imperfectly. They were able to make change occur through assertion, and you can do it too.

It is very hard for people used to acting passively to understand how to act assertively, however. Many people new to assertiveness training mistake aggressiveness for assertiveness. This is because their baseline position is passivity, and they literally cannot conceive that there is any alternative to just giving in to the demands of others other than to "fight fire with fire", usually in the same violent manner that their dominant partners model for them. Such newly "assertive" people will start yelling and screaming back at people who have historically yelled and screamed at them, not realizing in their newly empowered angry state that by acting in this way, they are going far beyond what is necessary for defending themselves, and may enter into the realm of becoming themselves abusive and dominating. This beginners mistake is probably inevitable, and certainly okay to make as a temporary and transitional stage towards better learning how to become assertive, but no one should linger there unnecessarily long. To do so is to substitute aggression for passivity, and to become a bully yourself.

assertiveness and self-confidence

how to help build, boost, and develop self-confidence and assertiveness

Building self-confidence and assertiveness is probably a lot easier than you think. 'Non-assertive' people (in other words 'normal people') do not generally want to transform into being excessively dominant people. When most people talk about wanting to be more assertive, what they usually really mean is:

• 'How can I become more able to resist the pressure and dominance of excessively dominant people?'
• 'How can I stand up to bullies (or one bully in particular)?'
• And also, 'How can I exert a little more control in situations that are important to me?'

Pure assertiveness - dominance for the sake of being dominant - is not a natural behaviour for most people. Most people are not naturally assertive. Most people tend to be passive by nature. The assertive behaviour of highly dominant people tends to be driven by their personality (and often some insecurity). It is not something that has been 'trained'.

For anyone seeking to increase their own assertiveness it is helpful to understand the typical personality and motivation of excessively dominant people, who incidentally cause the most worry to non-assertive people.

It's helpful also at this point to explain the difference between leadership with dominance: Good leadership is inclusive, developmental, and a force for what is right. Good leadership does not 'dominate' non-assertive people, it includes them and involves them. Dominance as a management style is not good in any circumstances. It is based on short-term rewards and results, mostly for the benefit of the dominant, and it fails completely to make effective use of team-members' abilities and potential.

The fact is that most excessively dominant people are usually bullies. Bullies are deep-down very insecure people. They dominate because they are too insecure to allow other people to have responsibility and influence, and this behaviour is generally conditioned from childhood for one reason or another. The dominant bullying behaviour is effectively reinforced by the response given by 'secure' and 'non-assertive' people to bullying. The bully gets his or her own way. The bullying dominant behaviour is rewarded, and so it persists.

Dominant, bullying people, usually from a very young age, become positively conditioned to bullying behaviour, because in their own terms it works. Their own terms are generally concerned with satisfying their ego and selfish drives to get their own way, to control, to achieve status (often implanted by insecure ambitious parents), to manipulate, make decisions, build empires, to collect material signs of achievement, monetary wealth, and particularly to establish protective mechanisms, such as 'yes-men' followers ('body-guards'), immunity from challenge and interference, scrutiny, judgement, etc. Early childhood experiences play an important part in creating bullies. Bullies are victims as well as aggressors. And although it's a tough challenge for anyone on the receiving end of their behaviour they actually deserve sympathy.

N.B. Sympathy is not proposed here to be a sole or significant tactic in countering bullying. Rather, sympathy is advocated as a more constructive, stronger, alternative feeling to being fearful or intimidated.

Non-assertive people do not normally actually aspire to being excessively dominant people, and they certainly don't normally want to become bullies. When most people talk about wanting to be more assertive, what they really mean is 'I'd like to be more able to resist the pressure and dominance of excessively dominant people.' Doing this is not really so hard, and using simple techniques it can even be quite enjoyable and fulfilling.

Importantly, the non-assertive person should understand where they really are - a true starting point: non-assertive behaviour is a sign of strength usually, not weakness, and often it is the most appropriate behaviour for most situations - don't be fooled into thinking that you always have to be more assertive.

Understand where you want to be: what level of assertiveness do you want? Probably to defend yourself, and to control your own choices and destiny (which are relatively easy using the techniques below), not to control others.

For people who are not naturally assertive, it is possible to achieve a perfectly suitable level of assertiveness through certain simple methods and techniques, rather than trying to adopt a generally more assertive personal style (which could be counter-productive and stressful, because it would not be natural). People seeking to be more assertive can dramatically increase their effective influence and strength by using just one or two of these four behaviours prior to, or when confronted by a more dominant character or influence, or prior to and when dealing with a situation in which they would like to exert more control. Here are some simple techniques and methods for developing self-confidence and more assertive behaviour.

assertiveness and self-confidence methods and techniques

1. Know the facts relating to the situation and have the details to hand.
2. Be ready for - anticipate - other people's behaviour and prepare your responses.
3. Prepare and use good open questions.
4. Re-condition and practice your own new reactions to aggression (posters can help you think and become how you want to be - display positive writings where you will read them often - it's a proven successful technique).
5. Have faith that your own abilities and style will ultimately work if you let them.
6. Feel sympathy for bullies - they actually need it.
7. Read inspirational things that reinforce your faith in proper values and all the good things in your own natural style and self, for example, Ruiz's The Four Agreements, Kipling's If, Desiderata, Cherie Carter-Scott's 'rules of life', Wimbrow's The Guy In The Glass, etc.

know the facts and have them to hand

Ensure you know all the facts in advance - do some research, and have it on hand ready to produce (and give out copies if necessary). Bullies usually fail to prepare their facts; they dominate through bluster, force and reputation. If you know and can produce facts to support or defend your position it is unlikely that the aggressor will have anything prepared in response. When you know that a situation is going to arise, over which you'd like to have some influence, prepare your facts, do your research, do the sums, get the facts and figures, solicit opinion and views, be able to quote sources; then you will be able to make a firm case, and also dramatically improve your reputation for being someone who is organised and firm.

anticipate other people's behaviour and prepare your responses

Anticipate other people's behaviour and prepare your own responses. Role-play in your mind how things are likely to happen. Prepare your responses according to the different scenarios that you think could unfold. Prepare other people to support and defend you. Being well prepared will increase your self-confidence and enable you to be assertive about what's important to you.

prepare and use good open questions

Prepare and use good questions to expose flaws in other people's arguments. Asking good questions is the most reliable way of gaining the initiative, and taking the wind out of someone's sails, in any situation. Questions that bullies dislike most are deep, constructive, incisive and probing, especially if the question exposes a lack of thought, preparation, consideration, consultation on their part. For example:

• 'What is your evidence (for what you have said or claimed)?'
• 'Who have you consulted about this?'
• 'How did you go about looking for alternative solutions?'
• 'How have you measured (whatever you say is a problem)?'
• 'How will you measure the true effectiveness of your solution if you implement it?'
• 'What can you say about different solutions that have worked in other situations?'

And don't be fobbed off. Stick to your guns. If the question is avoided or ignored return to it, or re-phrase it (which you can prepare as well).

re-condition and practice your own new reactions to aggression

Re-conditioning your own reaction to dominant people, particularly building your own 'triggered reactions', giving yourself 'thinking time' to prevent yourself being bulldozed, and 'making like a brick wall' in the face of someone else's attempt to dominate you without justification. Try visualising yourself behaving in a firmer manner, saying firmer things, asking firm clear, probing questions, and presenting well-prepared facts and evidence. Practice in your mind saying 'Hold on a minute - I need to consider what you have just said.' Also practice saying 'I'm not sure about that. It's too important to make a snap decision now.' Also 'I can't agree to that at such short notice. Tell me when you really need to know, and I'll get back to you.' There are other ways to help resist bulldozing and bullying. Practice and condition new reactions in yourself to resist, rather than cave in, for fear that someone might shout at you or have a tantrum. If you are worried about your response to being shouted at then practice being shouted at until you realise it really doesn't hurt - it just makes the person doing the shouting look daft. Practice with your most scary friend shouting right in your face for you to 'do as you are told', time after time, and in between each time say calmly (and believe it because it's true) 'You don't frighten me.' Practice it until you can control your response to being shouted at.

have faith that your own abilities will ultimately work if you use them

Non-assertive people have different styles and methods compared to dominant, aggressive people and bullies. Non-assertive people are often extremely strong in areas of process, detail, dependability, reliability, finishing things (that others have started), checking, monitoring, communicating, interpreting and understanding, and working cooperatively with others. These capabilities all have the potential to undo a bully who has no proper justification. Find out what your strengths and style are and use them to defend and support your position. The biggest tantrum is no match for a well organised defence.

feel sympathy rather than fear towards bullies

Re-discover the belief that non-assertive behaviour is actually okay - it's the bullies who are the ones with the problems. Feeling sympathy for someone who threatens you - thereby resisting succumbing to fearful or intimidated feelings - can help to move you psychologically into the ascendancy, or at least to a position where you can see weaknesses in the bully.

Aggressors and bullies were commonly children who were not loved, or children forced to live out the aspirations of their parents. In many ways all bullies are still children, and as far as your situation permits, seeing them as children can help you find greater strength and resistance. Transactional Analysis theory, and especially the modern TA concepts, are helpful for some people in understanding how this sort of childhood emotional damage affects people, and how specific communications can be planned and used in response to excessive dominance, bullying, temper tantrums, and other threatening behaviours.

N.B. The point above about feeling sympathy for bullies should not be seen as approval or justification for bullying. Neither is sympathy proposed here to be a sole or significant tactic in countering bullying. Rather, sympathy is advocated as a more constructive, stronger, alternative feeling to being fearful or intimidated. People responsible for bullying are the bullies, not the victims. So if you are a bully: get some feedback, get some help, and grow up.

Several tactics are explained above to tackle bullying head-on, as is often very necessary. Additionally in most western world countries, and many others besides, there are now serious laws and processes to protect people from bullying, and these protections should be invoked whenever bullying becomes a problem.

Who are Learning Champions ?

Company or Local residents who have discovered a passion for informal or formal learning that they want to share with families, friends and neighbours. Learning champions are local individuals who will act as the interface between the professional and the local community, the 'jam in the sandwich.' Volunteers who want to make a difference in their community by helping others.

WHAT WILL THEY DO?

• Learning Champions will provide voluntary outreach support to initial learning engagement.
• Provide information on local learning opportunities.
• Be able to signpost to other organisations and agencies where needed.
• Provide support and mentoring to help overcome self esteem and confidence barriers through a 'hand holding' approach.
• Capture and record the voice of the 'non-learner' leading to a better understanding of what's required.
• Provide feedback to providers, planners and funders of adult and community learning through the Adult and Community Learning Partnership.

WHERE WILL THEY BE?

• Allianz hope to have at least 100 learning champions in each cluster group area during 2009/2010.
• The initial focus will be in deprived ward areas where the greatest support is needed.
• Local shops, supermarkets, pubs, libraries, community centres, at organised events.

WHAT'S INVOLVED IN BECOMING A LEARNING CHAMPION?

• Initial informal, group discussion-based course on mentoring skills and knowledge. There is no writing required at this stage, we are fully inclusive to all individuals and more formal progression courses will be available if that's what is wanted.
• Willing to be involved in your local community.
• Have a minimum of two hours per week to spare.
• Feel passionate about learning.
• Have an understanding of how difficult it can be to take the first steps.
• Like talking but can also listen to others.
• Like being part of a team.