#14,467
In the second half of the last decade Indonesia was the world's hot spot for H5N1 flu - both in birds, and in humans - peaking in in 2006 and 2007. By 2011 avian influenza activity appeared to be in decline globally with only 40 human (H5N1) cases reported worldwide.
H5N1 would flare up again, particularly in Egypt in 2015, but Indonesia has remained unusually quiet on the avian flu front for a number of years.
Some of that may be due to less-than-aggressive testing and reporting, but most of it has been attributed to an attenuation of the local H5N1 strains due to acquisition of genes from low pathogenicity avian influenza A virus progenitors.Between these evolutionary changes, and the use of vaccines that often mask symptoms, reports of bird die offs from Indonesia have become relatively rare. Their most recent human infection was reported in 2017.
Overnight, however, the Indonesia press has lit up with dozens of reports of a bird die off - and positive `bird flu' test - in the city of Tegas, on the north coast of Central Java.
Whether these die offs are due to H5N1, or some other subtype, isn't revealed in these reports.A couple of (translated) excerpts and links. Then I'll return with a bit more:
Tuesday, October 15, 2019, 20:04 pm
Positive Bird Flu, Teen Poultry in Tegal Burned
Imam Suripto - detikNews
Positive poultry bird flu in Tegal destroyed by fire on Tuesday (10/15/2019). (Imam Suripto / AFP) Tegal - At least 19 birds in Tegal, Central Java, tested positive for bird flu. These birds were destroyed by the Rapid Response Unit Team Animal Diseases Strategic (URC PHMS) Marine and Fisheries Agency of Agriculture and Food (DKPPP) Tegal city by burning.
(Continue . . .)
Hundreds of Dead Birds in Tegal Flu Bird Cage sprayed disinfectant
Kompas.com
Senior Workers, Love Setiadi
Published 14:53, 16/10/2019
Tegal, KOMPAS.com - After hundreds of birds died suddenly because of bird flu virus, officials from the Department of Marine Fisheries, Agriculture and Food (DKPPP) along Tegal City Health Department began spraying disinfectant to a number of poultry in Tegal, Central Java, Wednesday (10/16/2019).(Continue . . . )
Based on these reports (and others), there have been a number of bird die offs in this region over the past few days and weeks.
While it is likely this is a flare up of the existing H5N1 strain which has long been endemic in the country, Indonesia lies beneath the East Asian-Australian Flyway migratory bird flyway (see map below), and a new H5N1 variant, or even a new avian subtype may have recently been introduced.
Hopefully we'll get a more precise description of the virus in the days to come.
Meanwhile, reports continue to be published in Indonesian media of multiple die-offs of pigs (`babi mati') - see last week's blog Indonesia: Media Reports Of Unexplained Pig Deaths In Multiple Regions - which have been widely attributed to `suspected hog cholera'.
Normally, this terminology would indicate Classical Swine Fever, but I've not seen any official test results published. With African Swine Fever having been reported both north and south of this archipelago nation, definitive test results are needed.
