Nurse under scrutiny for bird flu symptoms<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Staff at the Sulianti Saroso Infectious Diseases Hospital in
\nNorth Jakarta are closely observing a nurse with avian influenza-
\nlike symptoms after she took care of a patient thought to have
\nthe virus who recently died.<\/p>\n
The latest case of suspected bird flu infection comes as
\nIndonesia prepares for a World Health Organization meeting next
\nweek, in which the country will be quizzed on its efforts to
\nstamp out the virus, which has killed 62 people worldwide. The
\nvirus, which spreads among chickens and fowls, has already
\nreached birds in Europe.<\/p>\n
Hospital spokesman Ilham Patou said on Friday the nurse,
\nidentified as Rima, was admitted to the special hospital just
\nbefore midnight on Thursday after complaining of bird flu-like
\nsymptoms.<\/p>\n
\"She was suffering from fever and had cough when she arrived,\"
\nIlham said quoted by Antara.<\/p>\n
A laboratory test on her blood sample would be conducted in a
\nHong Kong clinic on Saturday, Ilham said.<\/p>\n
Rima had treated a 19-year-old patient with bird flu-like
\nsymptoms, Inna Solati, in the intensive care unit at Husada
\nInsani Hospital in Tangerang. Inna died on Oct. 28.<\/p>\n
The infectious diseases hospital has also been treating Inna's
\nchild and two of her nephews. The three toddler-age children, who
\nIlham refused to identify, were admitted to the hospital on
\nTuesday with bird flu-like symptoms.<\/p>\n
Ilham said, however, the three children had shown signs of
\nimprovement.<\/p>\n
\"They are now in a stable condition. We no longer find them
\nsuffering from high fevers, coughs and respiratory problems,\"
\nIlham said. Doctors were now waiting for the results of
\nlaboratory tests on their blood samples from the Hong Kong lab,
\nwhich normally took around a week to complete, he said.<\/p>\n
There are three other suspected bird flu patients under
\nexamination in the hospital. Ilham said their conditions were all
\nstable.<\/p>\n
Ilham it would require a thorough investigation to determine
\nif Rima and the three children were the first human-to-human
\nvictims of the virus, which is normally only transmitted from
\nbirds to people.<\/p>\n
\"The dead patient or persons who get sick after a long contact
\nwith sick people must test positive for the virus before we can
\ndeclare that human-to-human transmission has taken place,\" Ilham
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The government has said the possibility human-to-human
\ntransmission of the virus at this point remained unlikely. The
\nvirus here is confirmed to have infected five people, three of
\nwhom died.<\/p>\n
Minister of Health Siti Fadilah Supari said Indonesia would
\nreport its improvements in disseminating information about the
\nvirus and its surveillance of remote areas during the WHO meeting
\nin Geneva from Monday through Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Siti and Minister of Agriculture Anton Apriyantono will head
\nthe Indonesian delegation to the meeting.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/nurse-under-scrutiny-for-bird-flu-symptoms-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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