# 1295
Readers of this blog will probably remember Dr. C. A. Nidom, a scientist at Airlangga University in Surabaya, who discovered H5N1 antibodies in 20 percent of 500 stray cats near poultry markets in four areas of Java between September and December of last year.
I blogged on this several times, including here.
Today we hear again from Dr. Nidom, and again, it is with disturbing news. According to Tempo Interaktif (Time Interactive), Dr. Nidom is claiming there are now 5 distinct clades of the H5N1 virus in Indonesia.
The following is a machine translation (the original was published in Bahasan) of an article dated November 26th. The syntax is clumsy due to the limitations of such translations, but the meaning is pretty clear. The H5N1 virus, according to Dr. Nidom, is mutating rapidly in Indonesia.
A hat tip to Dutchy on Flutrackers for finding and translating this article.
The Bird Flu virus in Indonesia Mutated into 5 Varieties
on Monday, November 26 2007
The Interactive TIME, Jakarta: the Development of the Bird Flu Virus H5N1 in Indoensia faster than any country.
The researcher Molecular Biology from University Airlangga Surabaya, Dr C. A, Nidom, on Monday (26/11) said, in Indonesia the Virus H5N1 has mutated became 5 sub groups.
In fact in the other country only was found by the mutation to 3 variants of the virus, said Nidom. Sub the virus group that muatated in Indonesia was divided into the A kind, B, C, C1, and D.
For the A category and B, spread dikawasan Sumatra. Now for the C category spread in Kalimantan.
Whereas to C1 spread in various places, and for D the region spreading him covered the Papua area and Sumatra the southern part.
We were also surprised, the virus in Indonesia was current the local law, so between the area of one and other different. Moreover sometimes mutated, he added.
According to him, the study molekular at this time still continued to be needed to learn the character was different from these virus kinds.
The mutation of the virus H5N1 in Indonesia, continued the chairman of the bird flu Laboratory Bio Safety Level-3 (BSL-3) this, still had a mutation nature small.
According to him, his control must be also matched the character of his virus. Moreover, till at this time, medicine for the bird flu sufferer also was not yet found.
Tamiflu in fact was common flu medicine, but than will be completely, then Indonesia broke to use tamiflu, he added.
Theresa42, another of the hardworking newshounds on Flutrackers, has prepared a map showing the approximate locations of each of these clades based on the limited information provided in this article. You can view it on Flutrackers in this thread.
Nice work, Theresa.
H5N1 is obviously rife in Indonesia. Outbreaks in poultry are so common that they don't warrant reporting anymore. The number of human infections reported still remains low, but questions remain over just accurate their surveillance and reporting of such cases really is.
All of this points out how important it is that the WHO, and scientists around the world, have access to virus samples from Indonesia.
Without them, we have a major blindspot, and may not be able to see a pandemic unfolding until it is upon us.
