# 5906
From Ida at The Bird Flu Information Corner this morning we’ve a pair of updates on two separate Indonesian H5N1 incidents we have been following.
The first involves the mother of the two children who died a week ago from confirmed bird flu infections. Yesterday we learned that she had fallen ill, fled the hospital, and refused treatment (see Bali: Bird Flu Suspect Flees Hospital).
This morning we learn that she died at home and that she had previously been tested for H5N1, but the tests were negative.
From BFIC we get a (hand) translation of an MNCTV report.
Bangli, Bali ::: The mother of two H5N1 victims dies
Posted by Ida on October 17, 2011
Bali – A woman died in her house, in Jehem village, Tembuku sub-district, Bangli, Bali. Officers suspected bird flu (H5N1) infection and collected the sample of the woman.
Victim is the mother whose two children died of H5N1 in Sanglah hospital several days ago (view previous). After that the mother developed fever and then treated in Bangli hospital. When she was in hospital, her blood examination showed negative H5N1. She left the hospital and died two days after.
Victim is treated as she infected by bird flu H5N1, where the officers are wearing bio-security clothes. Mourners are obliged to wear mask.
Despite her negative blood tests from roughly 3-4 days ago, H5N1 has often been difficult to detect in Indonesia, and we’ve seen other cases where patients who tested `negative’ were nonetheless still presumed infected.
Due to religious objections, autopsies are a rarity in Indonesia, so there are times when confirmation of infection is never made.
The second story comes from the adjacent island of Lombok, where over the weekend we learned of a pair of bird flu suspects hospitalized in Mataram (see Watching Indonesia Again).
While still suspected cases, their number has now increased to four.
Again from Ida at BFIC.
Lombok Tengah, West Nusa Tenggara ::: Four people treated as bird flu suspect following to the H5N1 outbreak in chickens
Posted by Ida on October 17, 2011
Lombok Tengah – Four bird flu suspect patients from Lombok Tengah are being treated in isolation unit of West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) province due to bird flu suspicion. Patients are a 11-month-old (A), 56-year-old (Sh), 10-year-old (St) from Peringgarata village, and 5-month-old (Ds) from Semayam village.
A and Sh have been treated since Saturday (15/10), while St and Ds were referred from public health center in Praya, Lombok Tengah and entered the hospital on Monday (17/10).
The two new cases are the 10 year-old (St) and the 5-month Old (Ds).
We are awaiting laboratory confirmation on all of these cases, but as always - even when bird flu is suspected – there are plenty of other pathogens in that part of the world that can produce similar symptoms.
