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http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?t=157126&page=2&pp=40
July 15, 2005
Bird flu suspected in Indo deaths
By CHRIS BRUMMITT
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - A man and his two daughters have died of suspected bird flu in Indonesia, authorities said Friday, and initial investigations showed they had no contact with poultry, raising concerns of possible human-to-human transmission.
The victims, a 38-year-old man and his two girls, ages nine and one, would be the country's first human fatalities linked to the virus. They lived in a suburb of Jakarta and all died in the last week and a half, Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari said.
"These are suspected bird flu cases," Supari said at a news conference attended by officials from the World Health Organization. "We have sent specimens to Hong Kong to confirm the results, which will take seven to 10 days."
All were suspected of catching the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus, she said.
Hundreds of millions of birds have died or been culled across Asia in the last two years because of the bird flu virus, which also jumped to humans, killing 51 people in Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia.
Experts say most of the deaths so far have resulted from an animal passing the virus to a human.
But WHO has long cautioned that the virus could mutate to allow easy transmission from person to person, which could cause it to spread rapidly around the world.
But Dr. Georg Petersen, a WHO representative, said that while the three Indonesian family members had no known contact with poultry, a more thorough investigation could turn up evidence to the contrary.
"In other countries, this is often the case," he said.
Supari said the man's wife, his son and their two maids have shown no symptoms of the disease - which include fever and respiratory problems - and tests have been carried out on more than 300 people who were in contact with the family.
On Thursday, Indonesian authorities had denied that the deaths were linked to bird flu.
Sapari said this was because initial tests came out negative, and not because authorities wanted to cover up an outbreak.
"We tested, tested and tested again as is customary in this situation," she said.
Dr. Oloan Tampubolon, who oversaw the treatment of all three cases, said the surviving wife was having trouble accepting her loss.
"Yesterday, she asked me 'what is God's plan for my family?,"' he said. "I said you never know what God's plan is, but you and your son are still around so keep on going."
Last month, Indonesia reported its first human case of bird flu in a poultry worker, but the man did not develop symptoms and is currently healthy.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2005/06/16/pf-1090501.html
http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?t=157126&page=2&pp=40
July 15, 2005
Bird flu suspected in Indo deaths
By CHRIS BRUMMITT
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - A man and his two daughters have died of suspected bird flu in Indonesia, authorities said Friday, and initial investigations showed they had no contact with poultry, raising concerns of possible human-to-human transmission.
The victims, a 38-year-old man and his two girls, ages nine and one, would be the country's first human fatalities linked to the virus. They lived in a suburb of Jakarta and all died in the last week and a half, Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari said.
"These are suspected bird flu cases," Supari said at a news conference attended by officials from the World Health Organization. "We have sent specimens to Hong Kong to confirm the results, which will take seven to 10 days."
All were suspected of catching the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus, she said.
Hundreds of millions of birds have died or been culled across Asia in the last two years because of the bird flu virus, which also jumped to humans, killing 51 people in Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia.
Experts say most of the deaths so far have resulted from an animal passing the virus to a human.
But WHO has long cautioned that the virus could mutate to allow easy transmission from person to person, which could cause it to spread rapidly around the world.
But Dr. Georg Petersen, a WHO representative, said that while the three Indonesian family members had no known contact with poultry, a more thorough investigation could turn up evidence to the contrary.
"In other countries, this is often the case," he said.
Supari said the man's wife, his son and their two maids have shown no symptoms of the disease - which include fever and respiratory problems - and tests have been carried out on more than 300 people who were in contact with the family.
On Thursday, Indonesian authorities had denied that the deaths were linked to bird flu.
Sapari said this was because initial tests came out negative, and not because authorities wanted to cover up an outbreak.
"We tested, tested and tested again as is customary in this situation," she said.
Dr. Oloan Tampubolon, who oversaw the treatment of all three cases, said the surviving wife was having trouble accepting her loss.
"Yesterday, she asked me 'what is God's plan for my family?,"' he said. "I said you never know what God's plan is, but you and your son are still around so keep on going."
Last month, Indonesia reported its first human case of bird flu in a poultry worker, but the man did not develop symptoms and is currently healthy.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2005/06/16/pf-1090501.html