# 2228
Over the weekend Indonesia's Health Ministry announced that test results on 13 villagers from North Sumatra were negative, and that they were cleared of having the H5N1 bird flu virus.
Today we learn from the Jakarta Post that local Health Department officials aren't completely ready to accept those results, and that a KLB ("extraordinary occurrence") alert status remains in place.
The WHO (World Health Organization) investigation team reportedly remains in the village, and local officials continue to talk about this incident as if it were still a possible bird flu outbreak.
What to make of all of this?
Obviously, something is going on in North Sumatra, and local officials are clearly worried. After all, three people did die after the recent sudden deaths of poultry in the village of Air Batu, and 13 others were sickened enough to require hospitalization.
There have been reports of other villagers, as well, complaining of `flu-like' symptoms, and the area reportedly has been flooded with Tamiflu.
Whether it is bird flu or not remains to be seen, but health officials on the ground apparently are not willing to take chances.
At least not until more test results are returned.
This report from the Jakarta Post.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008 5:24 PM
N. Sumatra remains alert against bird flu outbreak
Apriadi Gunawan , The Jakarta Post , Medan | Tue, 08/12/2008 10:17 AM | Headlines
The North Sumatra Health Office remains on "extraordinary occurrence" (KLB) alert status following the deaths of three people and the hospitalization of 13 others believed to have contracted bird flu.
Office head Chandra Syafei Monday said his office had imposed KLB status because it had so far not received autopsy reports to determine the causes of deaths from the Health Ministry, including results on blood samples and bodily fluid from the patients from Air Batu district in Asahan regency.
Chandra said he personally learned that the patients' blood tests were negative for bird flu from the ministry's website, but remained wary due to the lack of an official report from the ministry.
"So far there has yet to be any report specifying whether the three victims in Asahan were positively or negatively infected with the bird flu virus. If the results are positive, we will have to monitor the area longer," Syafei told The Jakarta Post in Medan on Monday.
Chandra said a number of health workers were still in Asahan to monitor the situation.
"We are on full alert to monitor developments of a bird flu outbreak in Asahan. A team from the World Health Organization is still there to investigate the case," said Chandra.
He added that health officials were focusing on the three fatalities and the 13 current patients showing symptoms consistent with bird flu.
Chandra said so far those involved in the investigation could not determine the causes of death of the three victims and the 13 currently hospitalized.
"The three people died following the discovery of dead poultry, but we don't know whether or not it was the cause," Chandra added.
Chandra said authorities had disposed of 276 infected birds in Asahan and would continue to slay birds believed to be infected with virus.
Nearby Labuhan Ratu regency has killed 1,126 birds after seeing hundreds suddenly die in the past week.
Labuhan Batu Vice Regent Sudarwanto said the virus had affected the poultry population in six subdistricts of North Rantau: Padang Bulan, Cendana, Lobusona, Sirandorung, Ujung Bandar and Padang Matinggi.
Sudarwanto said his office had taken several measures to prevent the spread of the disease, such as disposing of birds, conducting public awareness campaigns and using rapid testing. It has also set up posts in bird flu-prone areas.
"We have so far carried out various anticipatory measures to curb the virus spread, and we urge people to remain alert," Sudarwanto said.
Interestingly, this newspaper story states that officials are awaiting `autopsy reports' and a determination of the `cause of death' of the three early victims of this outbreak.
We've been told, repeatedly, that the first three victims were buried more than two weeks ago without testing. Autopsies are rarely done in Indonesia due to religious and social objections, and exhumations are even less likely.
If exhumations and autopsies have actually been performed, then officials have been taking extraordinary steps (for Indonesia) to determine the cause of this outbreak.
News reporting being what it is in Indonesia, I'll need to see the autopsy results before I believe they've been performed.
Until we know more about what killed these 3 villagers, and sickened more than a dozen others, I'm taking some heart in the fact that local officials are willing to continue to investigate this matter, despite the bland assurances of Indonesia's Health Ministry.
