Iwan and daughters infected by bird: Minister

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government says the three people in Tangerang who died of avian influenza may have contracted the virus from the feces of infected birds, while denying three other people showing typical symptoms of bird flu have the disease.

Minister of Health Siti Fadilah Supari said the latest field tests performed by her office had found bird feces containing the deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza. She said it was possible Iwan Siswara and his two daughters contracted the disease from the feces of infected poultry.

"We can only say that we discovered bird feces that tested positive for the virus, but it remains unknown where Iwan contracted the disease," Siti said.

She said it was unlikely Iwan and his daughters contracted the virus by eating chicken or through human-to-human transmission.

Minister of Agriculture Anton Apriyantono confirmed the discovery of feces containing the avian influenza virus around Iwan's neighborhood.

"We have found feces that contained the bird flu virus. But we cannot determine if the feces was the source of the virus that killed Iwan and his two daughters," Anton said during a press conference after meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Iwan lived in Legok, Tangerang, Banten, where the government culled dozens of pigs and ducks on Sunday that had tested positive for the virus.

There has also been speculation that Iwan and his daughters contracted the virus from infected pigs.

Avian influenza can be transmitted to humans through an intermediate host such as a pig.

Siti said Iwan and his daughters were the only known human cases of bird flu in the country. She was commenting on three people, including a Malaysian national, who displayed symptoms of avian influenza infection.

Two Indonesians, AS and AB, are being treated at Sulianti Saroso Hospital in North Jakarta after displaying symptoms similar to those associated with bird flu. Their blood samples have been sent to the WHO laboratory in Hong Kong for testing. It normally takes the laboratory at least one week to complete the tests.

The Malaysian national died last week and has been cremated.

"After going over the medical records of the Malaysian man, I am convinced that his death was not caused by the avian influenza virus. He had a high fever for about two weeks, which is more similar to typhoid," Siti said.

People who contract the bird flu virus usually only survive for three or four days if they suffer from a high fever.

In Sukabumi, West Java, the provincial health office culled 1,200 chickens infected with avian influenza at a farm in Cicurug village.

The head of animal husbandry in the province, Musni Suatmodjo, said it would be difficult to stop the spread of the virus because it had infected ducks and wild birds, including pigeons.

Health offices in the South Sumatra regencies of Musi Banyuasin and Musi Rawas plan to cull chickens suspected of being infected with avian influenza later this week.