WHO confirms new bird flu victim
Hera Diani and Suherdjoko, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta/Semarang
Minister of Health Siti Fadilah Supari confirmed on Friday the fourth human fatality from avian influenza in the country, after a World Health Organization-sanctioned laboratory in Hong Kong announced the results of tests on the victim's blood sample.
Siti said that Rini Dina Prasetyaningsih, 37, who died last weekend, tested positive for the H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus, but the source of the virus was still not clear.
"The sequencing process has yet to be completed. We are still investigating the source of the virus," she said after a meeting at the Office of the Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare.
A resident of Petukangan Utara subdistrict in South Jakarta, Rini was admitted to Bintaro International Hospital in Tangerang, Banten, on Sept. 6 with symptoms of severe pneumonia.
She had been suffering from flu-like symptoms for several days and also had leukopenia, a drastic decline in the white blood cells to under 6,000 cells per cubic centimeter.
The victim, who worked at an immigration service bureau, lived near a chicken slaughterhouse in a crowded neighborhood, but was not in frequent contact with chickens.
Rini is the fourth person in Indonesia to die from bird flu. Iwan Siswara and his two daughters, residents of Tangerang, Banten, died of the virus in July.
Siti reiterated that there were still no recorded cases of human-to-human transmission of the virus, so people should not panic.
She said another person who lived near Rini was also suspected of having contracted the virus.
"We have taken blood samples from everyone who lives near the victim, and there is one suspected case. But the person is healthy so we are still investigating," said Siti, who declined to identify the suspected new case.
She said the government was continuing to carry out monitoring and poultry vaccinations to help stop the spread of the virus.
"The most important thing is handling the poultry," she said.
Meanwhile, several workers at the Cantung cemetery in Semarang, Central Java, where Rini was buried, have expressed concern over their health after discovering the cause of Rini's death.
Agus Suhartoko, who dug the victim's grave, said he stripped away three layers of plastic covering Rini's body although her family warned him not to.
"But I was told by the local cleric to uncover her body because according to Islamic law, a body should only be covered by white cloth," he said.
He did not blame Rini's family, however, as the hospital only said that Rini died from acute pneumonia.
Siswanto and Saedoni, who carried Rini's body to the grave, asked the government for information about the virus.
"Please find a cure so that we are not infected by the virus," Saedoni said.
The head of the Central Java Health Office, Budihardja, said his office had taken blood samples from Rini's family and neighbors and was monitoring their health.
"We will get the results in a week. But clearly, there has been no case of human-to-human transmission of avian flu."