3rd person dies in Tangerang, SARS fears rise
Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang
A mystery disease has claimed a father and his two young daughters over the past six days, raising fears in the family's neighborhood in Serpong district, Tangerang, about a possible outbreak of the deadly avian influenza or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
Amid an ongoing investigation into the actual cause of death of her father and younger sister, Sabrina Nurul Aisyah, 8, died on Thursday morning at Siloam Gleneagles Hospital in Karawaci, Tangerang, with a similar respiratory ailment.
The World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health, however, have confirmed that Iwan Siswara Rifei, 37, and Thalita Nurul Azizah, 1, died of an unspecified bacterial infection, not the H5N1 bird flu virus or SARS.
Iwan, an employee of the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) died at Siloam Gleneagles Hospital on Tuesday evening, while Thalita died earlier on Saturday at the Harapan Kita Hospital in West Jakarta.
The remaining family members: Iwan's wife Lin Rosalin and their eldest son Fariz Riski Nurohman had not been ill nor shown signs of similar symptoms as the three victims, a close relative said.
"The Siloam Gleneagles Hospital has confirmed that both Iwan and Sabrina died of a respiratory infection, not bird flu or SARS. But we, however, are still waiting for the final test results from the Ministry of Health," Iwan's uncle Dedi Hawadi Iswara told the media at the hospital on Thursday.
He said that Lin and Fariz would not speak to the press as they were still distressed from the deaths.
He added that it was Sabrina who first came down with a high fever and respiratory problems. She was admitted to the hospital on June 29. Her father, who often visited her, and Thalita, developed the same symptoms shortly thereafter.
The two were admitted to the hospital on July 7. The one-year- old girl died after being treated for two days.
Deni also denied media reports that claimed that Iwan and his family had just returned from India and Hong Kong, where at least 298 people have died of SARS in recent years.
"According to his passport, Iwan's last trip abroad was in October last year to Hungary without his family," he said, adding that Iwan was also scheduled to visit South Africa this week on business.
Local health officials speculated on their diagnoses on Wednesday, and stated that the three had a severe case of pneumonia.
However, the investigating team established by the Ministry of Health are still conducting further investigations, and those results will be announced by the beginning of next week.
"We cannot tell at this moment which virus the family has contracted because the samples of their blood are still being examined in Hong Kong for laboratory tests.
"But we can say that avian influenza does not spread from human to human. Humans can only contract bird flu from poultry," explained the team chairman Sardikin who visited Siloam Gleneagles Hospital on Thursday.
World Health Organization (WHO) epidemiologist Gina Samaan also doubted it was bird flu as the victims had not been in contact with poultry before they died.