Monday Morning Roundup 8/14/06
It is axiomatic that in the Avian Flu world, news all but disappears on the weekend. From Thursday night, thru Monday morning, very little reporting is done. We do, however, have a few interesting tidbits to start our week off with.
Indonesia continues to lose the battle with avian flu, and more human cases are being reported. The virus is endemic in the domestic poultry population, and there is little cooperation from the inhabitants of the thousands of islands that make up this country, in culling their primary food source.
Indonesian bird flu patient refuses treatment, officials say
JAKARTA (AP): Indonesia's latest bird flu patient checked out of hospital after spending just a night there, while his cousin died last week showing symptoms of the virus but was not tested in time, health officials said Monday.
Umar Aup was admitted to a hospital in West Java province last Wednesday and left the next day on the orders of his family, who said they could treat him at home with a mixture of prayers and traditional remedies, said Dr. Eka Sony, a Health Ministry official investigating the case.
The 17-year-old remains very ill, said Sony, who visited him Sunday in his remote village.
"Our team felt very frustrated we were not able to persuade the family to let doctors take care of Umar," said Sony. "His father said he has the right to choose the treatment for his son, whatever the risk."
Villagers said Aup and his cousin collected the carcasses of around 100 chickens that died suddenly last week and fed them to dogs, said Sony.
Sony said Aup's cousin died after showing symptoms of the virus.
Health officials have said they suspect that many Indonesians have died from bird flu unreported because they no tests were performed.
Laboratory tests have confirmed Aup has the virus.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detaillgen.asp?fileid=20060814154128&irec=0
This is not the only human case in Indonesia right now. And several deaths have been reported there over the past week, attributed to the H5N1 virus. How many more have died, and simply been buried without testing, is unknown. But that number is likely to be significant.
Meanwhile, in Thailand 46 patients with suspected bird flu are in quarantine.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=112188
46 patients monitored for bird flu
A total of 46 Thai patients suspected of contracting the deadly avian influenza are under close medical supervision, while Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has approved a budget to build 100 more patient rooms at hospitals nationwide, said Public Health Minister Pinij Jarusombat on Sunday.
Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan said that no victim of the deadly disease has been found in Bangkok.
Rumours of Bangkok victims had caused concern last week. The capital has suffered a spate of influenza, including many serious cases, but none has proved to be H5N1 bird flu, authorities said.
Mr Pinij said the prime minister had given the green light for a budget to build 100 more rooms for patients suspected of contracting the disease.
Most of the rooms will be built at hospitals in provinces where the situation is severe such as Phichit, Uthai Thani, Kampaengphet and Nakhon Sawan and they will be completed within three months.
