Commentary
Suspect H5N1 Cluster In Sumatra Indonesia Raises Concerns
Recombinomics Commentary 14:15
August 6, 2008
Three people have died and 13 have been admitted to hospital with symptoms of bird flu in Indonesia, a nurse treating the patients said Wednesday.
Officials and residents in Asahan district of North Sumatra province said villagers began showing symptoms of avian flu after a large number of chickens died suddenly last week.
The nurse at Asahan district's Kisaran hospital said three people had died after suffering bird flu-like symptoms in Air Batu village.
On Wednesday at dawn struck their 02,00 arrived. The two patients consisted of a male child and the woman, said public relations of RSUP Adam Malik of the Ginting rays, on Wednesday (6/8) when being encountered by the reporter.
The official of the Intensive Care Unit (UGD) RSUD Abdul Manan, Ana, said, eleven other patients on behalf of RAPPING (5), IP (6), Spr (33), DY (5), the US (39), M. (32), D (32) Sdr (39), RM (8), and D (2).
The "patient D was the last patient who entered this morning (on Wednesday 6/8)," said Ana.
The above comments and translation describes three suspect fatal H5N1 infected patients as well as 13 more who are hospitalized at the Adam Malik hospital in Medan in North Sumatra.
This large number of suspect patients is cause for concern. The largest confirmed H5N1 outbreak in Indonesia was also in North Sumatra. Most of the members of the Karo cluster were also treated at Adam Malik. The large number of adults in the above list suggests the cases represent multiple families.
The H5N1 status in Indonesia has been cloudy because of reporting failures by the Indonesian government, WHO, or both. Although Indonesia has acknowledged two lab confirmed cases in Tangerang last month, WHO has yet to publish updates on these patients. Similarly, the reporting of the cases preceding the cases last week would reported weeks after confirmation in violation of IHR regulations. The earlier cases were members of clusters, which Indonesia failed to confirm and WHO failed to acknowledge.
WHO’s continuing failure to report these clusters in Indonesia remains a cause for concern.
Details on this large cluster and an explanation from WHO on its glaring oversight failures would be useful.
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