# 4972
Two weeks after we first began to receive reports of large poultry die offs from the H5N1 virus in South Sulawesi, government spokespersons are seeking to reassure the public by stating that very few provinces are bird-flu free, and that outbreaks such as these are fairly common.
The story appears today in the Jakarta Globe, a large English Language newspaper out of the Indonesian Capital.
With nearly 50,000 dead chickens reported in 11 areas (Makassar, Takalar, Luwu Timur, Luwu Utara, Soppeng, Pinrang, Parepare, Sidrap, Barru, Bulukumba and Bone) of Sulawesi – it isn’t exactly clear what is meant by `under control’.
Despite the official reassurances, there is no indication from this report that these outbreaks have ended.
This appears to be more on the order of . . . “move along folks . . . there’s nothing to see here”.
The good news is - that despite several people hospitalized with suspected bird flu symptoms – none have far been reported to test positive for the virus.
Surveillance and reporting out of Indonesia on their bird flu problem has been less-than-robust in the past, and so we’ll keep a wary eye on the situation.
Some recent blogs on these outbreaks include:
Indonesia: Balikpapan Teenager Negative For H5N1
Updated Bird Flu Reports From Indonesia
Bird Flu Continues To Spread In Sulawesi
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