Suspect H5N1 Cluster in Lampung Indonesia Grows
Recombinomics Commentary 13:31
March 14, 2008
Lampung - The Number Of patients was expected by bird flu that is treated in RSU Abdul Moeloek Banda Lampung till today to 11 people.
4 among them the resident Way Laga that could refuse and bolt when being treated in the hospital.
In the meantime one other patient, the man aged the year 22 years had the initials D, came from the Rajabasa Subdistrict.
From 11 patients, 2 including being stated positive was expected avian influenza (AI) and got the intensive maintenance.
The above comments describe an 11th patient hospitalized in Lampung. Poultry in the region have tested positive, as have two of the patients. Patients have been described as having a fever, laryngitis, and bleeding from the nose.
However, the severity of disease in the suspect patients remains unclear. The two positives appear to have left the hospital because of concerns over costs, but were convinced to return when told there was no charge for treatment of bird flu.
The two positives still have a high temperature, but the status of the others was not clear, although all appear to have had some symptoms prior to hospitalization. These symptoms and the likelihood of testing positive may be decreasing because of the Tamiflu treatment. Throat swabs of two were PCR positive, but Tamiflu treatment may lower H5N1 levels in the throat to an undetectable level
Disease onset dates for the two positives are lacking, as are comments that the patients have breathing difficulties. In 2005 there was a confirmed cluster in Lampung, but subsequent clusters have tested negative. However, large Tamiflu blankets have been used in the past.
Clusters in Indonesia are cause for concern because of limited release of sequence data and false negatives following Tamiflu treatment.
More information on the clinical status of the 11 hospitalized patients, as well as disease onset dates for the two confirmed cases, would be useful.
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