Tweet
Re: Indonesia BF - 5/28-30
Commentary at
Commentary at
-
-
Re: Indonesia BF - 5/28-30
New Confirmed H5N1 Bird Flu Fatality in Bandung Indonesia
Recombinomics Commentary
May 31, 2006
A 15-year-old boy from Tasikmalaya town was rushed to Bandung's Hasan Sadikin hospital late Monday after showing symptoms of avian influenza commonly known as bird flu.
The boy, a resident of Cangkuang Karangninggal hamlet in Tasikmalaya, some 100 kilometers east of Bandung, arrived at the hospital with serious breathing problems and a high fever.
Doctors said the boy was likely infected with bird flu, because he had history of direct contact with dead chickens.
The suspect's father said the second year junior high school student fell ill last Wednesday, a week after six of their chickens died suddenly.
"Hundreds of chickens have died since May, with bluish marks on their bodies and fluid coming out of their beaks," the suspect's father said at the hospital Tuesday.
The above description of another confirmed H5N1 bird flu case in the West Java region near Bandung is cause for concern. Wire service reports have indicated that local tests have confirmed that the patient is H5N1 positive. Earlier local; media reports described the clinic and local hospital admissions prior to transfer to Hazan Sadikin. The teenage student arrived late Monday and died on Tuesday.
The announcement that he tested positive for H5N1 suggests that samples were not collected until he was transferred on Monday. He developed symptoms last Wednesday and was hospitalized in Tarikmalaya after a visit to a local clinic. When his condition deteriorated further, he was transferred to Bandung. This series of transfers prior to testing is similar in Jakarta. Thus, only the most ill are tested which might contribute to the high fatality rate.
The recent spike in cases in West Java and Jakarta are cause for concern. A pair of siblings are the most recent cases confirmed in Hong Kong. However, there were two additional admissions who are still being tested. Thus, there have been five patients near Bandung admitted in the past week and the three that were lab confirmed have died.
Although the most recent case is linked to dying poultry with bird flu symptoms, testing and sequencing of the birds would be useful. Human cases in West Java (see map) have been infected by H5N1 with a novel cleavage site, which has not been reported for the H5N1 isolated from poultry, including poultry in West Java.
The failure to link the human H5N1 with poultry H5N1 is cause for concern. Both the lab in Hong Kong and the CDC have the earlier sequences with the novel cleavage site. These sequences should be released immediately.Comment
-
Re: Indonesia BF - 5/28-30
Youth dies bringing bird flu toll to 37 in Indonesia
AP
Jakarta: Indonesia's human bird flu death toll climbed to 37 yesterday after the World Health Organisation confirmed that an 18-year-old boy died from the H5N1 virus, a senior health ministry official said.
Tests for the youth, whose sister also died from bird flu, came back positive from a WHO-sanctioned laboratory in Hong Kong, Nyoman Kandun said. Both died on May 23 in the city of Bandung, becoming the seventh case of family members, or clusters, sickened by the disease in Indonesia, he said.
The laboratory also confirmed that a 14-year-old girl from Solok, West Sumatra, had been sickened by the virus, Kandun said. Indonesia's total number of confirmed cases now is 50, of which 37 were fatal, he said.
Worldwide, bird flu has now killed at least 125 people since late 2003.
Comment
-
Re: Indonesia BF - 5/28-30
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=400 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=2>
</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#ffffee></TD><TD vAlign=top bgColor=#ffffee></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Bird Flu casualties in Tasikmalaya, died the writer: SugengBandung -- MIOL: Mastur, 15, the patient suspect bird flu died, on Tuesday night (30/5), after less than 24 hours were treated in RSHS Bandung.The citizen of the Cangkuang Village, the Karangninggal Village, Tasikmalaya, experienced the clinical sign similar to the bird flu sufferer, the hot fever high and breathless.Mastur died, around 21.30 WIB. the Body was brought by his family three hours afterwards to be buried in Tasikmalaya."From the clinical Sign that was experienced by him, casualties were it was suspected infected by bird flu."His condition when coming in the difficult and hot breath situation high, said the Chairman Tim the Handling of RSHS Hadi Jusuf Bird Flu.The assumption, increasingly was reinforced with the story of the patient's contact that was connected with the poultry that often died suddenly in and around his environment.Parents of casualties, Tarjo, 49, permitted the existence of his six property chickens to die suddenly, last week.Not long after that, Mastur, that just sat in the class 2 high fever junior high school and did not descend-descended, also breathless."In our village, many chickens had died suddenly since early last May."The amount already hundreds, and when dying the condition for his body turned blue with the mouth issued mucus, he explained.Hadi Jusus added, to casualties RSHS has given tamiflu and help of breathing.The sample of casualties's blood has also been sent to the laboratory of Balitbang Department of Health, Jakarta."Results x-rayed menunjukan difficult pneumonia."If saw physical and contact, this big possibility bird flu, said Hadi.Kasubdin Sanitation of the Environment of the Health Service West Javanese Fatimah Resmiati suspected the case of bird flu of to humankind spreading in West Java.Beforehand, was recorded had 16 West Javanese citizens, from Bekasi, Bogor, Sumedang, Indramayu and the Bandung Regency died positive bird flu."If being proven by the patient from Tasikmalaya positive bird flu, significant penyebaran"Has spread to the territory.Before this, did not yet have the case of bird flu to humankind in Tasikmalaya, he said.(SG/OL-02)</PRE>
http://www.mediaindo.co.id</PRE>
</PRE>Comment
-
Re: Indonesia BF - 5/28-30
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=400 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=2></TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#ffffee></TD><TD vAlign=top bgColor=#ffffee></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>http://www.hariansib.com/index.php?o...=5716&Itemid=9
F-PDIP DPRDSU: Too Much the Morning Sentence Karo was infected by Bird Flu was written by editorial staff on Tuesday, on May 30 2006 Medan (SIB) the Faction of PDI-P DPRD North Sumatra felt disappointed on the government attitude that terlaluthe morning sentenced the Karo Regency was infected by the bird flu virus, so as the community increasingly restless and was haunted by the fear terjangkit the deadly virus this.That was stressed the Treasurer F-PDIP DPRD North Sumatra Zakaria got up SH to the reporter, on Monday (29/5) in DPRD North Sumatra after the survey to the Fortification Village Simbelang the Subdistrict three Karo Regency bows that was talked about has terjangkit bird flu.Therefore, Zakaria got up hope for, Pempropsu, the Karo Regional Government and the government of the centre immediately mengclearkan by chance from the spread of the bird flu virus in the Karo Land, so that the community does not become very anxious.If being produced by the Hong Kongese Laboratory said positive bird flu, proved to the community.Don't guessed.The council saw, the government too rushed sentenced the Simbelang Fortification Village was affected by the plague of Bird Flu, he said sembari added, if true in the region had the bird flu virus, necessarily the related service immediately deal with, not even very fast took the conclusion said positive bird flu.Because, further Zakaria, information that hurried without certain proof, to be just the same by making a fool of the life of humankind and destroying the economy of the community, as well as the process of the impoverishment of the Karo community only just because of tempted the foreign aid.Zakaria also regretted, two people of delegation from WHO did not arrive at the location of the occurrence of the plague of bird flu, in fact from Kabanjahe to the location was enough to be followed 30 minutes, so as to emerge the suspicion and the question mark seemed to there are those that conditioned 2 WHO delegations did not arrive at the location.In fact the problem of bird flu has in Karo been it was considered extraordinary.From results of the monitoring in the field and the dialogue with the local community, he said again, the government attitude it was considered lips services the citizen in a manner blak-blakan said was disappointed with the government gave criss-cross and confusing information as well as had a social impact, the community's economics.The impact of the information, their children were avoided by his friends in</PRE>Comment
-
WHO update on Indonesia - Karo cluster
Avian influenza ? situation in Indonesia ? update 16
31 May 2006
Situation update
Indonesian health authorities and WHO have further strengthened their response to the family cluster of cases in Kubu Simbelang village, Karo District, North Sumatra. As of today, 54 surviving family members and other close contacts of cases have been identified and placed under voluntary home quarantine. All of these people, with the exception of pregnant women and infants, are receiving the antiviral drug, oseltamivir, for prophylactic purposes. Public health teams visit these people daily, checking for symptoms.
In addition, active house-to-house surveillance for influenza-like illness is being conducted throughout the village, which has around 400 households. A command post for fever surveillance has been functioning in the village since last week.
As of today, no new cases suggestive of H5N1 infection have been detected since 22 May. This finding is important as it indicates that the virus has not spread beyond the members of this single extended family. No hospital staff involved in the care of patients, in some instances without adequate personal protective equipment, have developed the disease. The last person in the cluster, who developed symptoms on 15 May and died on 22 May, refused hospitalization. He moved between two villages while ill, accompanied by his wife. The wife is under surveillance and has not developed symptoms.
Despite multiple opportunities for the virus to spread to other family members, health care workers or into the general community, it has not, on present evidence, done so.
Current level of pandemic alert
Based on an assessment of present evidence, WHO has concluded that the current level of pandemic alert is appropriate and does not need to change. The level of pandemic alert remains at phase 3. This phase pertains to a situation in which occasional human infections with a novel influenza virus are occurring, but there is no evidence that the virus is spreading in an efficient and sustained manner from one person to another.
WHO has recommended continued close monitoring of the situation in Kubu Simbelang for the two weeks following 22 May, the date when the last known case in the cluster died. As a precautionary measure, Indonesian authorities have decided to extend this recommended period to three weeks.
Preliminary results of the investigation
This information differs in some details from information released in previous updates, but is derived from extensive investigations by senior national and international epidemiologists, from WHO and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who have developed a clearer picture of the situation.
The cluster involves an initial case and seven subsequent laboratory-confirmed cases. All cases are members of an extended family: sisters and brothers and their children. Family members resided in four households. Three households were next-door neighbours in the village of Kubu Simbelang, Karo District, North Sumatra. The fourth household was located about 10 kilometres away in the nearby village of Kabanjahe.
The initial case in the cluster was a 37-year-old woman who sold fruits and chillies at a market in the village of Tigapanah. Her stand was located about 15 metres away from a stand where live chickens were sold. The investigation uncovered no reports of poultry die-offs in the market. However, the woman kept a small number of backyard chickens, allowed into the house at night. Three of her chickens reportedly died before she became ill. She is also known to have used chicken faeces from these household chickens as fertilizer in her garden.
A parallel agricultural investigation has not, to date, detected H5N1 virus in PCR tests of approximately 80 samples from poultry, other livestock and domestic pets, and chicken fertilizer taken from the vicinity.
The initial case developed symptoms on 24 April, was hospitalized on 2 May, and died on 4 May. No samples were collected for testing prior to her burial, but she is considered part of the cluster as her clinical course was compatible with H5N1 infection.
The initial case had one sister and three brothers. The sister and two of the brothers subsequently developed infection. The remaining cases occurred among children in these families.
The confirmed cases include five males and two females with an average age of 19 years (range from 1 to 32 years). Six out of the seven confirmed cases developed symptoms between 3 May and 5 May. These cases include two sons of the initial case, her brother from Kabanjahe, her sister, the sister?s baby, and the son of a second brother living in an adjacent house. This second brother, the last case in the cluster, developed symptoms on 15 May. Six out of the seven cases were fatal.
Exposures
On the night of 29 April, nine family members spent the night in a small room with the initial case at a time when she was severely ill, prostrate, and coughing heavily. These family members included the initial case and her three sons; the brother from Kabanjahe village, his wife, and their two children; the 21-year-old daughter of another brother (who did not become infected); and another young male visitor. Following this event, three family members ? the woman?s two sons and the visiting brother from Kabanjahe ? developed symptoms from 5 to 6 days later.
The woman?s sister, who lived in an adjacent house, developed symptoms at the same time, as did her 18-month-old daughter. Prior to symptom onset, this sister, accompanied by her daughter, provided close personal care of the initial case.
The last case in the cluster provided close care for his son throughout his hospital stay, from 9?13 May. The son was a frequent visitor in the home of the initial case and was present there on 29 April.
...when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. - Sherlock HolmesComment
-
Re: Indonesia BF - 5/28-30
The WHO report is the most detailed to date. I think pressure from individuals and the media is having an effect. Keep up the pressure on the number of prior H2H examples as well as the need to release the sequences. I will be doing several commentaries to focus attention on these areas.Comment
-
Re: Indonesia BF - 5/28-30
When I read this update, I had the impression that it was directed primarily to all the flutrackers everywhere who have been calling for more complete and more timely reporting -- and who have been keeping a close eye on what's happening. I also think that all of us really had an impact here! Keep up the good work.Originally posted by niman
...when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. - Sherlock HolmesComment
-
More on M. - 15 yr-old from Tasikmalaya who died
toggletext-ed from Indonesian:
The patient of Origin Bird Flu Tasik Meninggal
Bandung, (HOMEWORK)
May 31, 2006
Another the patient suspect bird flu died in the Handsome Sadikin Hospital (RSHS) Bandung. M. (15) the patient from Tasikmalaya that entered RSHS, on Monday (29/5), died, on Tuesday (30/5), struck 21.20 WIB.
The chairman Tim the Control of RSHS Bird Flu, Dr. Hadi Jusuf that was contacted by HOMEWORK overnight said, when entering, the condition for the patient indeed already shock. His blood pressure provided and he experienced failed the breath so as to have to be installed the ventilator.
"M. only was treated not more than 24 hours here. When coming then, his condition has been critical. But, until at this time we still could not confirm he was positive bird flu or not. The big possibility of results of his laboratory just outside tomorrow, (Wednesday-red.)," he said.
The body M., according to him, could have been brought came home by his family. But, the method treated him of course continue to have to as treating the positive body was affected by the bird flu virus, to prevent the possibility of the spread to the other person.
M. (15), villagers Cikukulu Kec. Karangnunggal, was the patient suspect first bird flu from Kab. Tasikmalaya. The "patient was reconciled from RS Al Islam Tasikmalaya after being treated one night with the hot and breathless sign." Because since entering his condition has been ugly, direct we rose of the ventilator, said the Chairman Tim the Control of the Bird Flu Illness of RSHS Bandung, Dr. Hadi Jusuf, on Tuesday (30/5).
Results of the photograph inspection toraks also pointed out the existence of difficult pneumonia to his two lungs. Clinically laboratoris, at first with the existence of the story of contact with the poultry died, Dr. Hadi said, the big possibility M. was infected by the bird flu virus.
The patient's father, T (49) said, his six property chickens died suddenly last week, before the son of his youngest child experienced hot and crowded. According to him, apart from his property chicken, thousands of nonpedigreed chickens in two RW around his residence also had died suddenly since early May.
The similar matter was raised by the patient's grandfather, T (78). According to him, was different to the normal newcastle disease was found, the nonpedigreed chicken that died this apparently lebam kebiruan. The "chicken died that immediately was buried, burnt or thrown to the pond," he said.
M., that just sat in the class of II SMP, experienced the fever since Wednesday (24/5) and immediately was brought to the local community health centre. The community health centre afterwards reconciled him to RS Al Islam Tasikmalaya.
Up until Tuesday (30/5), RSHS has treated 42 suspect bird flu that came from various Bandung City territories, Kab. Bandung, Subang, Garut, Sumedang, Bogor, and Indramayu.
In the meantime, the Kab Livestock Breeding Service Tasikmalaya did not yet plan the extermination of the poultry in the Cikukulu Village, Kec. Karangnunggal. "Because of our official still in the field, to research the health of the poultry in the area," the Tasikmalaya headword of the Livestock Breeding Service, Budi Utarma.
According to him, the sub-district head, the official from livestock breeding, and the community health centre, has descended to the location of the citizen's residence that was treated. Including, did spraying against available livestock in the area.
...when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. - Sherlock HolmesComment
-
Re: Indonesia BF - 5/28-30
ANTARA News - Bird flu virus in RI not transitted via humans WHO official
June 1, 2006
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Avian Inluenza (AI) virus in Indonesia has so far not mutated into a variety that is transmiited from human to human, a WHO official said here Wednesday.
"According to the information we now have, there has been no significant mutation or reassortment in the virus", Firdusi Mehta, coordinator of WHO`s Communicable Disease Control (CDC) unit, said.
He said the virus that had infected victims in Indonesia so far still had the same type, namely the influenza A type with sub H5N1 strain of virus type, which originated in fowls.
The WHO official`s statement came amid speculatin that human-to-human bird flu infection had been taking place in Indonesia.
Bird flu researcher Dr CA Nidom MS said last week he was convinced human-to-human bird flu infection had occurred in the country.
"I am convinced human-to-human infection has been taking place because studies have found the development of H3N2 and H1N1 strains of the bird flu virus which originated from the H5N1 virus. Moreover, fowl-to-human infection has yet been proven since the death of Iwan in Tangerang," Nidom said on the sidelines of a seminar on bird flu on Friday last week.
A WHO laboratory in Hong Kong which examined specimens of all bird flu victims in Indonesia also disclosed that the H5N1 strain of the virus that was spreading in Indonesia originated in the same clusters, namely the cluster of viruses from fowls, Mehta said.
Director of the Eijkman Molecular Biological Institute Sangkot Marzuki said, meanwhile, the type of virus that had affected victims in the cluster case in Karo district (N sumatra) was different from the type of cluster cases in Java but the institute had not found significant change in the amino acid structure of the virus.
Nidom who is a researcher of the Tropical Disease Centre (TDC) of the University of Airlangga (Unair)`s Medical School, made the remarks after a WHO official stated that bird flu infection from humans to humans had been found in North Sumatra`s Karo district.
WHO epidemiologists have conducted field observations and found no sources of the infection. Seven of the nine dead vitims were cluster victims who suffered from the same symptions, WHO spokesman Peter Cordingley said earlier in Manila.
The WHO loboratory in Hong Kong had confirmed 49 bird flu cases in Indonesia with 37 dead victims as of May 30, 2006.
A bird flu suspect, Mastur, from Cangkuang, Tasikmalaya, West Java, died on Tuesday evening bringing the overall death toll in the the bird flu pandemic in Indonersia to 37, a hospital official said.
...when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. - Sherlock HolmesComment
-
Re: Indonesia BF - 5/28-30
World Updates
Thursday June 1, 2006
Bird flu explodes in Indonesia, one death every 2.5 days in May
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - Indonesia averaged one human bird flu death every 2 1/2 days in May, putting it on pace to soon surpass Vietnam as the world's hardest-hit country.
The latest death, announced Wednesday, was a 15-year-old boy whose preliminary tests were positive for the H5N1 virus. It comes as international health officials express growing frustration that they must fight Indonesia's stifling bureaucracy as well as the disease.
"We're tying to fix this leak in the roof, and there's a storm,'' World Health Organization spokesman Dick Thompson said. "The storm is: The virus is in animals almost everywhere and the lack of effective attention that's being addressed to the problem.''
Indonesia, a massive archipelago of 17,000 islands that is home to 220 million people, has a patchwork of local, regional and national bureaucracies that often send mixed messages. The ultimate impression, officials said, is often that no one is truly at the helm.
"I don't think anyone can understand it unless you come here and see it for yourself,'' said Steven Bjorge, a WHO epidemiologist in Jakarta. "The amount of decentralization here is breathtaking.'' He said health ministry officials will often meet with outside experts to formulate plans to fight bird flu, but the schemes are rarely realized.
"Their power only extends to the walls of their office,'' Bjorge said, adding their advice must reach nearly 450 districts, where local officials decide whether to take action in a nation that spans roughly the width of the United States.
Indonesia has undergone a sometimes rocky transition to democracy since dictator Suharto was ousted in 1998. Many powers once held in Jakarta have been given to regional and community governments.
But the process has been haphazard, and funding and policy decisions are often at the whim of inexperienced officials, mayors and village heads.
National government officials concede the problem. "The local government has the money, thus the power to decide what to prioritize,'' Wibisono said. "If some district sees bird flu as not important, then we have a problem.''
Indonesia has logged at least 36 human deaths in the past year - 25 since January - and is expected to soon eclipse Vietnam's 42 fatalities. The two countries make up the bulk of the world's 127 total deaths since the virus began ripping through Asian poultry stocks in late 2003.
Attention has been fixed for the past week on one village on Sumatra island where six of seven relatives died of bird flu. An eighth family member was buried before samples were collected, but WHO considers her part of the cluster.
Experts have not been able to link contact between the relatives and infected birds, which has led them to suspect limited human-to-human transmission may have occurred. But no one outside the family of blood relatives - no spouses - has fallen ill and experts have said the virus has not mutated in any way.
Scientists believe human-to-human transmission has occurred in a handful of other smaller family clusters, all involving blood relatives. Experts theorize that may mean some people have a genetic susceptibility to the disease, but no evidence supports that.
The disease remains hard for people to catch and most human cases have been traced to contact with infected birds. Experts fear the virus will mutate into a highly contagious form that passes easily among people, possibly sparking a pandemic with a death toll of millions.
Experts say the best way to battle bird flu in Indonesia is to tackle it in poultry. But that message is not getting through to all levels. Many local governments have refused to carry out mass poultry slaughters in infected areas and vaccinations have been sporadic at best.
Such measures have helped other hard-hit countries like Vietnam and Thailand to curb outbreaks. Both have strong central governments that have taken a leading role in ensuring plans are carried out at the village level.
The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization has been working with officials to improve poultry surveillance in Indonesia and quicken response times to outbreaks. But public awareness and bio-security standards remain low in the densely populated countryside, home to hundreds of millions of backyard chickens.
"It's not quite so easy here, where you have to have the local authorities and provincial authorities and national all on board,'' said Jeff Mariner, an animal health expert from Tufts University in Massachusetts working with the FAO in Jakarta.
"We find outbreaks every week scattered throughout Java. It's a diffusely endemic disease. In most districts, you can find it at any time,'' he said. "It's a staggering undertaking in a decentralized country.'' - APComment
-
Re: Indonesia BF - 5/28-30
Like riding a roller coasterComment
-
Re: Indonesia BF - 5/28-30
Commentary at
Comment
-
Re: Indonesia BF - 5/28-30
Another bird flu patient dies in Bandung hospital
Bandung, W Java (ANTARA News) - A bird flu patient, Mastur, from Cangkuang, Tasikmalaya, West Java, died here on Tuesday evening bringing the overall death toll in the pandemic in Indonersia to 37, a hospital official said.
"We received confirmation that the patient had the avian influenza virus from the Research and Development Section of the Health Ministry on Wednesday morning," the director of Hasan Sadikin Hospital, Cissy Kartasasmita, told reporters here on Wednesday.
A laboratory test on a sample of Mastur`s blood showed him to have been infected with the avian influenza virus, Cissy said. His relatives also confirmed that Mastur had had contact with a dead chicken.
Mastur, a 15-year old boy, passed away at the Hasan Sadikin Hospital after being treated for 24 hours. He was suffering from high fever, respiratory problems and coughing when he was admitted to the hospital.
The hospital is currently also treating IW, 27, who is also suspected of being infected with the bird flu virus. He has been treated since last Saturday (May 27) and his condition was improving.
Bird flu has killed 127 people worldwide since the virus began decimating Asian poultry stocks in late 2003. Nearly a quarter of the human deaths occurred in Indonesia, which has an official tally of 36, including at least a dozen in May alone.
Indonesia needs some US$900 million for a three-year program to fight Avian flu.
Avian influenza disease can cross border areas of countries. Initially, bird flu occurred in Thailand in 2003 and crossed to Vietnam and China. (*)
Comment
-
Article from Jakarta Post with more info
Tests show Bandung boy died of bird flu
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detail...601.G01&irec=0
Bird flu killed a 15-year-old boy in the West Java capital Bandung, a health official said Wednesday citing local tests, as the country struggled to get a grip on the spread of the virus.
The native of the town of Tasikmalaya was rushed to Hasan Sadikin Hospital in Bandung on Monday, suffering from acute fever and breathing problems. He died the next evening.
Director of communicable disease control at the Health Ministry, Hariyadi Wibisono, told AP local tests came back positive for the H5N1 bird flu virus, but the results still needed to be confirmed by the World Health Organization reference laboratory in Hong Kong.
If the tests are confirmed, it would mean there have been bird flu cases in humans in eight of West Java's 25 regencies and cities.
The boy is the third recent victim from the province. Last week, a 10-year-old girl and her 18-year-old brother, who lived in a village in Bandung regency, died of the virus. Sick and dead birds were reported near their home.
An official at West Java's provincial health office, Fatimah Resmiati, said the boy was the 17th suspected bird flu case in the province, of which 15 have died.
Tasikmalaya becomes the eighth area in West Java where the virus is suspected to have spread to humans, after cases were found in a number of other areas, including Bekasi, Bogor, Depok, Indramayu, Sumedang and Bandung.
"We can't deny that bird flu keeps spreading due to uneven poultry vaccinations," Fatimah said Wednesday.
The boy's father said earlier the junior high school student had contact with dead chickens near their house. There are reports many chickens around the town have died in the past month, with bluish scars on their bodies and fluid coming from their beaks.
Despite the sudden deaths, none of the chickens in the area have been vaccinated.
Authorities plan to conduct a cull around the victim's neighborhood Thursday.
The head of animal health at the provincial husbandry office, Musni Suatmodjo, said the cull would target chickens within a one-kilometer radius of the victim's home.
He acknowledged none of the chickens in Tasikmalaya had been vaccinated although bird flu had been found in chickens in the area as far back as 2004.
"We've checked and there were no vaccinations there because (the supply of vaccines) ran out," Musni said, adding that his office would secure a fresh supply of vaccines to be immediately dispatched to the area.
Bird flu has killed at least 127 people worldwide since the virus began ravaging Asian poultry stocks in late 2003. Nearly a quarter of the human deaths have been in Indonesia, which has an official tally of 36, including at least a dozen in May alone, second only after Vietnam with 42 deaths.Comment
Comment