Govt examines possible human avian flu case
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
A Ministry of Health officer confirmed on Friday reports of a possible human avian flu case and is currently waiting for further laboratory test results in the coming two weeks.
"One of the 63 specimens taken from poultry workers having had contact with H5N1-infected chickens came back with suspicious symptoms," Ministry of Health director general of contagious disease control Umar Fahmi Achmadi said.
"Unlike the others, which were declared negative, the result of this one sample showed a borderline case between positive and negative," he said, adding that the ministry had taken another blood sample from the person and sent it to a Hong Kong laboratory to be double checked.
The health ministry had sent 63 blood samples taken from poultry workers believed to have had the highest contact frequencies with infected birds. The samples were taken in five regencies in South Sulawesi after a bird flu outbreak.
Local health agency head Muhadir reported last week that the samples were taken from workers in Sidenreng Rappang, Pinrang, Wajo, Maros and Soppeng regencies.
World Health Organization acting representative Frits de Haan told The Jakarta Post that the inconclusive result might have been caused by insufficient or improperly taken samples.
According to the WHO, avian influenza, identified in Italy more than 100 years ago, is an infectious disease of birds caused by type-A strains of the influenza virus.
In Indonesia, the avian flu viruses found are of the H5N1 type, similar to those found in China, which is known to be infectious only to poultry due to its molecular distinctiveness. However, WHO representative Georg Petersen said that H5N1 could also directly infect humans.
A different type of avian flu virus hit the Asian region in 2003 killing 46 people -- 33 in Vietnam, 12 in Thailand and one in Cambodia. Almost every person who has fallen ill with bird flu is known to have caught the virus from contact with sick birds.
Like the common influenza virus, the avian flu virus can be transmitted through the air or through direct contact with infected individuals. Therefore, people with a high intensity of contact with infected poultry or who live near livestock inhabited areas are considered to have a high possibility of becoming infected.
Last week, the Minister of Agriculture confirmed that it had found a positive bird flu case in pigs in Banten province, raising concerns that the deadly virus had taken a step closer to infecting humans in Indonesia.
Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) molecular virology researcher Andi Utama said earlier that a new virus could emerge if a pig became infected with the avian flu and human flu virus simultaneously. Although such a newly formed virus has not been found, it could be transferable to humans.
In line with both findings, the Ministry of Health suggested that people working on farms wear masks, gloves and be sprayed with disinfectant before and after entering pens.
"It is very important that workers do not touch dead poultry or pigs with their bare hands," Umar said, adding that the ministry is intensifying its surveillance.
Consumers of poultry and pigs, however, should not worry about getting infected provided they made sure that the meat was cooked at least 80 degrees Celsius, since the avian flu virus could not stand high temperatures.