# 1399
Bird flu isn't the only pathogen roaming the Indonesian countryside, and it isn't the only one to produce severe flu-like symptoms. Dengue, Malaria and Chikungunya all can mimic avian flu, as can seasonal influenza or even the recently emerging adenovirus-14.
While this morning's news accounts don't reveal what malady these six family members are suffering from, they do state that it isn't bird flu.
Extremely good news, assuming they are right. For the family. For Indonesia. And potentially for the world.
Now, how about letting us know what they really are afflicted with?
Indonesia rules out bird flu cluster after tests
JAKARTA, Dec 22 (Reuters) - Indonesia has cleared six members of a family hospitalised with bird flu symptoms, a health official said on Saturday, in a case that has raised concerns over potential human-to-human spread of the disease.
It also comes as the World Health Organisation investigates a suspected case of limited human-to-human transmission of the H5N1 bird flu virus in Pakistan.
The six Indonesians from a small village in Banten province, just hours from the capital Jakarta, had been suffering from high fever after more than a dozen sick ducks died in their backyard.
Two sets of laboratory tests showed the six admitted to a hospital in Jakarta on Friday did not have the H5N1 virus, said Nyoman Kandun, director-general of communicable disease control at Indonesia's health ministry.
"Clearly, it's not a cluster. We do not even have a confirmed bird flu case here," Kandun said by telephone.
Authorities treat cases where family members living together show symptoms of bird flu with particular care since it could point to human-to-human transmission of the virus.
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