H5N1 Familial Cluster in Western Java Indonessia
Recombinomics Commentary
August 14, 2006
Villagers said Aup and his cousin collected the carcasses of around 100 chickens that died suddenly last week and fed them to dogs, said Sony.
Sony said Aup's cousin died after showing symptoms of the virus.
Health officials have said they suspect that many Indonesians have died from bird flu unreported because they no tests were performed.
Laboratory tests have confirmed Aup has the virus.
The above comments describe a new H5N1 bird flu family cluster in West Java. The teenager, who is the third confimed case in western Java this week, had left the hospital is being treated at home with herbal medicines, and his cousin has already died with bird flu symptoms. Disease onset dates have not been given for the cousin, but it is likely that he infected his cousin. Although there is dead poultry in the area, there still has been no match between H5N1 from human and bird cases on Java in Indonesia this year.
The lack of testing of the index case is not uncommon, which limits the number of clusters reported. However, the latest familial cluster in Indonesia is cause for concern.
Media Sources
Phylogenetic Trees