Eight-year-old boy declared bird flu positive<\/p>\n
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
An eight-year-boy identified as Ilham Junaidi was declared bird
\nflu positive on Monday, bringing the number of bird flu cases to
\nnine in the country, a hospital official says.<\/p>\n
Sulianti Saroso Hospital spokesman Ilham Patu, however, was
\nquick to dismiss suggestions that Ilham, a younger brother of Ina
\nSholati, who died of bird flu last week, had contracted the
\ndisease from his deceased elder sister.<\/p>\n
\"Although he had close contact with Ina, Ilham did not get the
\ndisease from her. You see, Ina had many birds in her house, and
\nthe boy (Ilham) often came and played with them,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Nineteen-year-old Ina died on Oct. 28 in Husada Insani
\nHospital in Tangerang, after several days of treatment. She was
\ndeclared to have died of bird flu last week.<\/p>\n
He said that the hospital believed Ilham and Ina contracted
\nthe virus from the birds.<\/p>\n
Patu said his hospital had received results of a laboratory
\ntest at the World Health Organization-sanctioned laboratory in
\nHong Kong, which confirmed that Ilham had avian influenza.<\/p>\n
\"We received the results last week from WHO. He tested
\npositive for bird flu. We are treating him in the hospital.
\nHowever, his condition is improving,\" he told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
According to WHO, Ina and Ilham were the eighth and ninth bird
\nflu patients in Indonesia -- two in Lampung and seven in Greater
\nJakarta. Five have died since July, while the condition of the
\nother four are improving.<\/p>\n
\"The total number of patients who have tested bird flu
\npositive is nine as two daughters of the first victim tested
\nnegative for bird flu,\" WHO public relations officer Sari P.
\nSetiogi told the Post.<\/p>\n
Iwan Siswara Rafei was the first recorded bird flu fatality in
\nIndonesia. He and his two daughters died in July. Earlier, the
\ntwo girls were assumed to have been infected with bird flu but
\nlater both WHO and the Ministry of Health dropped them from the
\nlist of bird flu fatalities.<\/p>\n
Patu said the Sulianti Saroso Hospital was still treating
\nIna's daughter and nephew as well as a nurse.<\/p>\n
\"Both her daughter and nephew tested negative for bird flu.
\nThey don't have bird flu symptoms and seem to be in good health.
\nHowever, we are still waiting for the test results of a nurse who
\ntook care of Ina,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Patu said that they had sent blood samples of the nurse to the
\nWHO-sanctioned laboratory in Hong Kong to find out whether she
\nwas infected or not, while the laboratory of the Ministry of
\nHealth was performing a second test.<\/p>\n
He said the nurse tested negative for bird flu in the first
\ntest but could not be declared free of bird flu until the second
\ntest plus one from WHO confirmed it.<\/p>\n
\"We hope we can get the result sometime this week. If she
\ntests positive then there is a great possibility that she got the
\nvirus from Ina. The nurse has no history of being in close
\ncontact with birds or chicken,\" Patu said.<\/p>\n
He said that if the nurse tested positive then it could be
\nconcluded that the bird flu virus had been transmitted from one
\nhuman to another.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/eight-year-old-boy-declared-bird-flu-positive-1447893297",
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