# 5351
Despite only one confirmed human case of H5N1 from the Indonesian Ministry of Health for 2011, the local media continues to be filled with reports of suspected cases of bird flu infection.
Many (perhaps even most) are likely something other than bird flu, since there are a number of far more common respiratory viruses (ie. H1N1, H3N2, RSV) circulating in Indonesia, all of which can produce `bird-flu symptoms’.
But local authorities are reporting a great many poultry die-offs due to bird flu over the past month - and when humans in close proximity begin to develop flu-like symptoms - the only reasonable recourse is to consider them suspect cases and isolate them until proven otherwise.
While I don’t try to blog every report, the diligent newshounds on the Flu Forums (I tend to frequent FluTrackers and The Flu Wiki ), along with bloggers like Ida at BFIC, Arkanoid Legent, Crof, and Chen Qi are all much better at monitoring and tracking these cases.
Today, a pair of reports from Ida at the Bird Flu Information Corner - a joint project of Kobe University in Japan and the Institute of Tropical Disease, Airlangga University, Indonesia – on suspected cases in two different locations.
Indramayu, West Java ::: Family of 4 treated as bird flu suspects
Posted by Ida on March 3, 2011
Indramayu – Four residents of Kecamatan Bongas are under intensive treatment of bird flu suspicion in Indramayu regional hospital, West Java.
Patients are a family; two of them are children aged 6 and 7-year-old. Patients showed initial signs such as high fever, coughing and abdominal pain.
The signs appeared after dozens of chickens had died around their house. Rapid test to the dead chickens showed positive bird flu H5N1 infection. Indramayu hospital applied infectious disease standard protocol to the patients.
Source: Indonesia TV news, Metro TV News.
Padang, West Sumatera ::: Hospital treats two bird flu suspects
Posted by Ida on March 3, 2011
Padang – M Djamil hospital in Padang is treating two bird flu suspect patients. They were referred from public health centers, Gurun Lawas Padang and Alai.
Patient Rif (10-month-old), a resident of Parak Lawas, Kecamatan Nanggalo, developed high fever after chickens reared by a neighbor suddenly died. He was admitted to M Djamil hospital on 26 February 2011.
Patient Raf (6-year-old), a resident of Balai Baru, Kecamatan Kuranji, Kota Padang, developed high fever after his family’s chickens suddenly died. He was admitted to M Djamil hospital on 2 March 2011.
Source: Indonesia local newspaper, NonBlok.
As the Indonesian Ministry of Health has a habit of waiting weeks (or longer) before commenting on the status of suspected cases, we may not learn the true cause of these illnesses for some time.
Despite the obvious concerns over human exposure to bird flu, the H5N1 virus remains primarily adapted to avian physiology. Humans have only rarely contracted the virus, usually after direct exposure to infected birds.
The concern, of course, is that over time the virus may adapt better to humans, and spark another pandemic.
So we remain at Pre-pandemic Phase III for H5N1 and and monitor reports such as these with considerable interest.
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