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H5N1 Bird Flu Symptoms in Three Cirebon Office Workers
Recombinomics Commentary
January 3, 2006
"Three workers from the Cirebon Regent's official residence, since this morning have been looked after in the infectious disease hospital, Sulianti Saroso hospital with suspected avian flu."
"Three chickens owned by the Regent died and had been confirmed positive for avian flu by the local government animal husbandry unit" Said the spokesman from Sulianti Saroso hospital AM Ilham Patu.
"The three people are Dibyo 36 a resident of the local court house complex, Ella 26 a resident of Ambit village and Suhartono from jalan Cipto Mangunkusumo."
"They are being looked after in the Cempaka isolation room, their condition is good, blood samples were taken this morning but not yet tested" said Ilham."
The above translation of a report on suspected H5N1 patients admitted to Sulianti Saroso hospital in Jakarta, Indonesia is cause for concern. The three government office workers had contact with birds in an area of Cirebon that has tested positive for H5N1, but all three admitted patients are linked via their work location. This cluster would be the first linked to an office workplace. It is somewhat similar to the cluster of Rangunan zoo visitors outside of Jakarta, but in this case all three workers were admitted at the same time.
This cluster if confirmed to be H5N1 positive point toward efficient transmission via casual contact.
More information on exposure to infected poultry would be useful, but the simultaneous admission of three patients with bird flu symptoms is cause for significant concern.
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