# 4526
Sungaiapit, Riau
News stories regarding suspected human bird flu infections in Indonesia are, admittedly, not uncommon. Getting official confirmation of these cases from the Indonesian government, however, happens rarely.
The official stance of the Ministry of Health (MOH) is that they do not comment on individual cases, and only release updates with revised aggregate totals on an intermittent basis.
Confirming individual cases, they decided several years ago, kept the bird flu story on the front pages and wasn’t doing much to enhance their nation’s image or economy.
In 2009, the MOH went 11 months between making `official’ announcements, adding 20 cases (19 fatal) to their totals on December 30th of last year.
During that time period, several dozen `suspected’ bird flu cases were mentioned in the local press. Some were allegedly `confirmed’ by local hospitals or authorities, some reportedly tested `negative’, and others we simply never heard about again.
Complicating matters further are the known difficulties in getting accurate H5N1 test results (something that the administration of Tamiflu can help obscure), a plethora of other flu-like illnesses that are common in the region, and a local media that is sometimes quick to identify any such illness as `suspect flu burung’.
So it is against this uncertain backdrop that we must view news stories such as the ones appearing overnight in the Riau newspapers identifying four possible bird flu suspects.
For these reasons (and more), while Indonesia media reports have at times provided us with important details on genuine outbreaks, I tend to regard them with a fair degree of caution.
Dutchy at FluTrackers opened a thread last night with a pair of translated news reports, and Ida at the Bird Flu Information Corner has a translation of a third report this morning.
First, from the FluTrackers Thread.
Hundreds of chickens died suddenly
Three Toddlers Suspected bird flu
Monday, April 26, 2010 - 21:31:27 AM
We are still conducting observations of the victims who suffered a high fever accompanied by cough and headache and body ache. Is the bird flu virus or notdr Hartini Head of the River Health Center Apit
RIVER APIT, METRORIAU.COM - Hundreds of chickens owned by citizens of the Village Lalang River District Wedge since the last few days was found dead unexpectedly. This makes residents of chicken deaths panic and reported the incident to the officer Apit River Health Center.
Even the death of these chickens had a high fever three toddlers. Three children were allegedly infected bird flu virus.Health center personnel along with officials from the Department of Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Agriculture (Distanakan) Siak is down to location, Sunday (25 / 4), had found improprieties against chicken deaths these.
The medical team led, drh Romi from Siak Distanakan have also taken samples of chicken die to do rapid tests. After doing research, the chickens that died suddenly positively infected by avian influenza virus.
Ida at BFIC has this translation from Metro Riau.
Sungaiapit, Riau ::: Four locals possibly contracting bird flu virus
Posted by Ida on April 27, 2010
Sungaiapit, Riau – Hundreds of chickens in Desa Lalang, Kecamatan Sungaiapit, Riau Province found to have suddenly died within these few days. Further rapid test done by Livestock, Fishery and Agriculture Service of Siak to dead chickens showed positive bird flu (H5N1) infection. Four residents of RT/RW 03/05 Dusun 2 Desa Lalang, were reported to have fever following to the incident.
Patients are three children and an adult, named Muhammad Sandika Putra (3.9), Jumiati (3.6), Zurahmah (3.4) and Efriadi (34). Head of Sungaiapit public health center, dr Hartini mentioned patients showed signs such as fever, coughing, headache and muscle pain. They had received intensive treatment in Sugaiapit public health center and had been improved, she said.
In mean time, patients are still under observation.
For ongoing details, you may wish to monitor the FluTrackers Thread, where their dedicated and talented newshounds will continue to monitor this story.
Obviously, should anything of interest come out of these reports, I’ll post it here as well.
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