WHO, govt probe deaths of man, daughter
WHO, govt probe deaths of man, daughter
Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang
The World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health have
launched an investigation into the deaths of a father and his
daughter from respiratory problems following media reports that
the two died from bird flu.
The Ministry of Health's Director General of Communicable
Disease Control Nyoman Kandun stated on Wednesday that the two
died of an unspecified bacterial infection, not the H5N1 bird flu
virus as reported earlier by Metro TV.
WHO epidemiologist Gina Samaan revealed that tests were still
being conducted on the pair, but she "doubted" it was bird flu as
the two had not been in contact with poultry before they died,
Associated Press reported on Wednesday.
Iwan Siswara Rifei, 37, an employee of the Supreme Audit
Agency (BPK) died at Siloam Gleneagles Hospital in Karawaci,
Tangerang, on Tuesday evening.
His eldest daughter, Thalita Nurul Azizah, 10, died earlier on
Saturday at the Harapan Kita Hospital, West Jakarta, from similar
respiratory problems.
Younger daughter Sabrina Nurul Azizah, 8, is suffering from
the same symptoms and is being treated in the intensive care unit
of the Siloam Gleneagles Hospital.
The Tangerang regental health agency denied media reports that
the pair died of either avian influenza or the deadly Severe
Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
An agency official, Naniek Isnaeni, said that the hospital's
doctors had diagnosed the father and daughter as suffering from
severe pneumonia.
"The symptoms are indeed similar to SARS. But while SARS can
kill its victims within several days, the members of this family
have been suffering from the disease for a month," she said.
Siloam Gleneagles Hospital's medical director, Anastina, said
that based on laboratory tests, "they were suffering from
pneumonia".
Naniek said that the case is now in the hands of the health
ministry.
"The communicable disease control directorate unit will
conduct further investigations to confirm the cause of death. The
results will be announced within three days.
"We will continue to monitor the condition of the remaining
family members," she added.
The family lives in Serpong district, Tangerang.
SARS and the bird flu virus -- which has also jumped to humans
-- have spread across Asia over the last two years, killing
hundreds of people in the region.
Several isolated cases were diagnosed in Indonesia, but no
fatalities have been recorded thus far.
Millions of poultry have died or been culled here to prevent
the spread of bird flu virus, which killed at least 51 people in
Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia.
Last month, Indonesia reported its first human case of bird
flu in a poultry worker, but the man did not develop symptoms and
is currently healthy.