# 294
While officials continue to try to dispel concerns over the recent suspected cases of H5N1 in Jakarta, the local TV, radio, and newspapers are carrying far less comforting stories. It is impossible to tell from this vantage point, half a world away, exactly who to believe.
Both sides have an agenda. Officials want to reduce public concerns and demonstrate that they have the problem well in hand, while news outlets want to pull in an audience. All we can safely say for sure is, right now, their stories do not match.
Officially, we’ve been told that there have been two positive H5N1 cases in Jakarta. Randi/Ramli, age 14, who passed away yesterday, and Riyah, age 37, still hospitalized. Five other suspected cases have tested negative, but are still in isolation, pending further tests.
Yet today, in the Jakarta Post, we get this very small report:
Two more people suspected of bird flu
JAKARTA (Elshinta): Two more people were admitted on Thursday to Persahabatan Hospital, Jakarta as they were suspected of being infected with bird flu virus, Elshinta radio station reported.
The radio station further reported the two patients had lifted the bird flu suspected patients in the hospital to 12.
On Wednesday, a 14-year-old boy died from bird flu, days after being hospitalized in Persahabatan Hospital.
The official count says 6 (1 confirmed, 5 suspected), while the newspapers say 12. Your guess is as good as mine.
The picture in Bogor, 50 miles or so to the south of Jakarta, is even more confusing. The following is an excerpt, machine translated, from POS KOTA ONLINE. A tip of the Hat to Theresa42 on the new Wiki for finding this one.
Bird flu Again swallowed fatalities
Jan 11, 2007
….
Menkes Siti Fadilah made a plea so that the community increases vigilance towards this bird flu outbreak. Moreover in the rain season as is now the case, the level of air humidity was very low. This enabled the virus easy emerged. Don't touch the poultry that died and immediately checked itself to the doctor if experiencing the hot sign that resembled bird flu. The Department of Health provided 2 million tablets Tamiflu in several hospitals and the community health centre.
20 Bogor children HOT
In Blok Sumur, the Sukaresmi District, Kecamatan Tanah Sareal, the Bogor City, 20 sudden children experienced hot high was accompanied by the fever, it was suspected was attacked by bird flu. His article a day before fell ill, several chickens in his territory died suddenly.
From dozens of chickens that died suddenly this, three including being thrown away to the fish-pond. At intervals of half of the hour, suddenly hundreds of fish that was in the pond died and was floating. "Saya suspicious, they were sick the high and hot fever because of being affected by bird flu. The fish in the pond in died, after having the resident who threw three chickens that have died to the pond away. The children that was sick this, after they bathed in MCK that his location was neighbouring with the pond of fish," Asih Muhtar, the mother RT local.
However as far as this is concerned, Dinkes did not yet ascertain the illness that was suffered by dozens of children in the Tanah Sareal this.
For several days, reports have been coming out of Bogor of poultry deaths, and sickness in humans. Whether these are related is unknown, but the citizens are obviously worried.
The reports of the fish die off, after dead chickens were thrown into the pond, are admittedly a bit strange. While I’ve seen speculation in the past that aquatic species might be affected by the virus, I’m aware of no scientific evidence to support that theory.
Nevertheless, the newspapers and local media are having a heyday with the Bogor story. I’ve seen variations of it in several outlets over the past 48 hours.
Bottom line, once again, is we don’t know what’s going on in Indonesia. It is possible, indeed even likely, that the reports out of Bogor are something other than bird flu. Seasonal flu is prevalent right now, as is Dengue fever in that region. Concerns are elevated, understandably, after the poultry die offs. All of this could be a case of over reaction by the public and the local media.
All we can do is monitor this situation and hope the picture becomes clearer in the coming days.
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