#679
Sometimes, it's hard not being cynical.
Nearly every week we hear of stories out of countries like Indonesia, China, Egypt, Russia, Iran, and Korea that appear to be important, at least at first blush, and then they disappear, never to be mentioned again.
Case in point. The Korean culler suspected of having contracted bird flu. This was the story on March 6th, more than 6 weeks ago.
By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff ReporterOfficials are testing a 38-year-old quarantine worker for the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain after he became ill after a culling operation at a poultry farm in Ansong, Kyonggi Province, on Monday.
A new case of highly-virulent bird flu was also reported Thursday at a poultry farm in Chonan, South Chungchong Provice, raising more questions over the government’s ability to control the spread of the disease.
The Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), which revealed the suspected human bird flu case Thursday, said it will take at least a week to confirm whether the man was infected.
If the man tests positive, it would be the country’s second case of a human being infected with the disease.
This would seem to be an important story. A culler, wearing protective gear and given Tamiflu (according to other reports) becoming symptomatic with bird flu symptoms. The following day, we were treated to a brief story suggesting this patient might have meningitis, and they were running tests. Results would take at least a week, but since this report we've heard . . . nothing.
It's vanished. Disappeared, and largely forgotten. Replaced by the next story to come down the news pipeline.
An interesting aside: The WHO has no Korean cases in their human summary, even though the story states this would be their second human case.
Did this man have bird flu? Or did he test negative, and we were simply never told? It's hard to imagine, after the publicity, that they'd never bother to clarify the report, but anything is possible I suppose.
From Indonesia last month, we had reports of several health care workers who had tended to an H5N1 patient who died, some were showing flu symptoms and were under observation. This report from March 29th, on Liputan 6 TV out of Indonesia.
Liputan6.com, Palembang: the Source of the spread of bird flu that killed Marwiyah the daughter from Palembang, South Sumatra, till Thursday early afternoon (29/3), still was mysterious.
<snip>
The correspondent SCTV Ajmal Rokian and Yanuar Ichrom reported, the example of blood of eighty medical staff and several neighbours who it was suspected had been touching with Marwiyah also was researched.
Four nurses who had been directly touching with Marwiyah, evidently could experience hot high for three days.
Newshounds on the flu forums have been watching for weeks for some indication on the status of these Health Care workers. So far, no word on any of these cases. Did they test negative? Are they back home, or back at work now?
We simply don't know. And it would be nice if someone would tell us.
Last fall, 22 patients died mysteriously at the St. Carolus Hospital in Jakarta, Indonesia. The doctors there stated they suspected bird flu, but couldn't verify that.
Carolus did not yet know the Cause of the Death 20 Pasien
on Monday, January 08 2007 | 13:40 WIB
The Interactive TIME, Jakarta:The management of the Saint Carolus Hospital did not yet know the cause of the death 20 Jakarta residents who contracted the high fever in November last year.
"We did not yet know results of the Department of Health," said Endang Suryatno this hospital Spokesperson to the Time today.
According to Endang, the sign of the public of all the patients was feverish that was very high was accompanied by coughs.
The patient generally only could be treated one to two day.The team of the doctor did not yet examine the patient comprehensively.
"This phenomenon rarely happened in this hospital," said Endang.
Therefore, this case was at once reported to the Department of the Health.
But Endang admitted to not yet getting results of the evaluation that was carried out by the Department of the health.
The hospital side, said Endang, suspected all the patients of contracting the sign that resembled bird flu (Avian influenza).
Again, months have passed, and no follow up, no explanation. Tissue samples were sent to the CDC, and an investigation was promised by government officials. But that was the last we heard.
Another mysterious story buried in the avian flu news graveyard.
Now, I'm not suggesting that all of these cases were Avian flu. Likely, most of these patients tested negative, or were shown to be suffering from some other malady. Early media reports are often in error.
Still, the silence is disconcerting.
It's been a year since China has sent virus samples to the WHO. Indonesia, despite months of negotiation, still haven't sent their samples. We see stories like the ones above, along with a lot of others, that raise suspicions but are never resolved publicly.
It would seem that `openness' and `transparency are just words to some governments.
With the ongoing threat of a pandemic, attempts to `spin' ,`manage', or `protect' the data by certain governments only increases the risk that we will miss important clues.
With the lives of millions at risk, they are playing a most dangerous game.
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