Another Suspect Fatal H5N1 Cluster in Bandung Indonesia
Recombinomics Commentary
September 24, 2006
A patient suspect bird flu from Kec. Batununggal, the Bandung City was treated in Handsome Sadikin Space of the Hospital Poinciana Tree (RSHS) Bandung. Beforehand, the patient had the initials T (20) that was treated in RS Saint Yusup Bandung, for two days. The patient T entered Poinciana Tree Space, on Sunday (24/9) struck 13. 30 WIB.
Dr. Hadi explained, the previous day the patient’s older brother T died in RS Saint Yusup. The patient’s older brother T experienced the same sign like the patient T.
The above translation describes another suspect H5N1 bird flu cluster in Bandung. The index case has already died and his younger brother has been transferred into the infectious disease hospital in need of oxygen and Tamiflu. This scenario is repeated time and again in Indonesia and elsewhere. Patients are not transferred or tested until they are near death, and frequently they die without any H5N1 tests. Similarly, those that recover early are not transferred or tested, and most who are transferred and tested have a link to dead or dying birds.
However, the dead or dying birds are usually not tested. Those tested are rarely sent for H5N1 isolation and the H5N1 isolates from birds do not match the human H5N1 sequences.
The number of reported human cases on Java in Indonesia is again beginning to rise. Recent cases in Tulungungu and Jakarta have been confirmed, and the above cluster in Bandung is likely. However, in spite of this increase in human cases on Java and bird cases throughout Indonesia, there have been no strong matches in bird isolates from Java in 2005 and 2006.
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