# 340
Hard news has been slow coming out of Indonesia the past 24 hours, probably due to the fact that January 20th was Muharram, the beginning of the Islamic New Year.
We are hearing contradictory statements made regarding the banning of backyard poultry by government officials, scattered reports of new patients being admitted to hospitals, and the report of a death, possibly due to the H5N1 virus. So a brief round up of the news.
This from the Jakarta Post.
JAKARTA (JP): A 20-year female old bird flu suspect died Sunday soon after he was admitted to Sulianti Saroso hospital in the capital, a report said.
If the death is confirmedly caused by the bird flu, she will be the 63th people killed by the avian influenza in the country.
MetroTV television reported that the latest casualty had been treated in another hospital since last Friday before she was rushed to Sulianti Saroso.
A 19-year-old Indonesian woman has died of bird flu, a senior health ministry official said Saturday.
The woman, from a village in West Java province, died on Jan.19 after hospitalized for three days in the town of Garut, some 200 kilometers southeast of capital Jakarta, said Nyoman Kandun. (**)
From Liputan 6 TV news, we get this report, which describes the culling of 10,000 birds today, and a reassertion of the governments intentions to carry out the banning of backyard poultry. This comes after the Governor of Central Java announced yesterday that his province would not follow Jakarta’s lead in enforcing this ban.
Vice President Jusuf Kalla stated the ban maintained the poultry in the area of the settlement as the only method of stopping the spreading of the bird flu virus.
The government will not retreat from the decision although getting the refusal from the resident.
"Yes, because the virus like that, must be avoided," said Jusuf to the press in Jakarta, Ahad (21/1).
Today, the Government of the Special Capital District of Jakarta Province destroyed approximately 10 thousand poultries belonging to the resident in ten subdistricts in Southern Jakarta.
The poultry that was destroyed including the kept chicken, the pigeon, the duck, and entog property of the voluntary resident.
These poultries beforehand randomly were checked by the Livestock Breeding Service.
From results of the inspection was known did not have the affected poultry the bird flu virus.
However, to prevent the spread of bird flu, these poultries continued to be destroyed.
The birds were reportedly slaughtered, laid out symbolically in a field, and then distributed to people for food for free. The birds had been examined and determined to be healthy prior to the cull. The dispute between provinces on the backyard ban continues, and it remains to be seen if this edict will be successful.
Liputan 6 also reports additional cases coming into hospitals.
The bird flu patient also still was filling up the hospital in Bandung, West Java, and Jakarta.
Two assumption patients of bird flu currently still are treated in RS Handsome Sadikin Bandung.
The patient had the initials CS [this may be Cucu Suarsih - R McC], villagers the Fragrant Arena, Cipatat, of Bandung, was treated in Space of the Poinciana Tree Isolation since yesterday morning.
He the high fever was accompanied by the cough and breathless after dozens of tails of his kept chicken died suddenly.
In the same room, there were also five assumption patients of bird flu.
Four including being twice based on the sample inspection of blood on the Body of the Department of the Health of Health Research And Development was stated by the bird flu negative.
In RS the Jakarta Friendship East, seven patients were still being treated.
One including being stated positive bird flu and currently were treated in intensive maintenance space.
Six patients still in the status of the assumption of bird flu and was treated in isolation space.
They still in the process of the team's inspection of the doctor.
Essentially, the situation in Indonesia remains about the same. New `suspected’ patients continue to show up at hospitals. Many are being tested and cleared of the virus, while some remain hospitalized and we have no official word on their status. Officially, we’ve had 6 patients positive for the H5N1 virus in Indonesia since the first of the year, with 5 fatalities.
While the situation in Indonesia is ongoing, at least for now, it doesn’t appear to be worsening.
And that is good news.
