# 2668
Today's Indonesian media is filled with stories regarding the death of a 42-year-old woman just after she was admitted to Wastiah General Hospital in Tangerang on Saturday, 1/17 - so we could take our pick this morning of which one to highlight.
The diagnosis of suspected `bird flu' in this case, at least based on what I've read so far, would seem tentative at best.
It is relayed to the reporter second-hand, from a relative of the deceased, and is based on an un-named doctor's clinical assessment, and not on any lab tests (except, perhaps, a rapid Influenza test).
The least detailed, yet most mainstream of these articles comes from the Jakarta Post. It has the advantage of having been originally written in English. We'll start there:
Woman allegedly dies of bird flu in East Jakarta
The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Sat, 01/17/2009 5:18 PM | Jakarta
A 43-year-old woman suspected of being infected with the bird flu virus died Saturday morning, only hours after being admitted to Tangerang General Hospital in Banten, tempointeraktif.com reported.
However, the family of the deceased, identified only as NA, was uncertain about the cause of death.
“A doctor in the hospital told me she died of bird flu,” Wastiah, mother of the woman, said Saturday.
The hospital has yet confirmed the cause of death. The hospital's director was unable to be reached.
According to Wastiah, her daughter suffered high fever, breathing difficulties and severe coughs since Tuesday. She was taken to a health center in Cengkareng, but she did not get better, Wastiah said.
On early Saturday morning, the family decided to take her to the hospital. She immediately taken to bird flu isolation unit. She was announced dead at around 9:00 a.m.. (dre)
From Tangerangonline, we get this translated text (hat tip Dutchy on FluTrackers) that seems to indicate that the deceased's children may also have been ill, but are recovering.
Resident Cengkareng died It Was Suspected Infected By Bird Flu Virus
Tangerang- Nafisah (43) the resident Street Pentogelan, the Javanese Alley of RT 01/04, the Cengkareng District, of Jakarta West died it was suspected resulting from infection by the bird flu virus. Dadi (22) casualties's child said his mother already four days had a temperature, breathless and the cough.
Further, Nafisah was with his family carried to the Community Health Centre in this area. But also did not have the change, even Nafisah cramps. The mother already in brought to the Community Health Centre but did not recover, he said.
Saw the Nafisah condition that was increasingly critical, finally Nafisah was run off with to RSU Tangerang in the morning and immediately entered IGD space the isolation to receive the intensive maintenance. However around struck 10,00 WIB, on Saturday (17/1), Nafisah died.
The doctor in this hospital said the mother was positive bird flu, he said sadly.
In the meantime Lily (47) the husband of casualty said his wife was sick along with the child the three of them. However his child recovered after being brought to the Community Health Centre.
Before being brought to RSU my wife cramps, he said while saying Nafisah will be carried to his house and immediately will be buried in TPU Kober, Jakarta West.
Given the standoff between the WHO (World Health Organization) and Indonesia's Health Ministry over H5N1 virus samples, and Indonesia's stated policy of not commenting on human bird flu cases `as they happen', we may, or may not hear anything officially about this case.
And if we do, it may not be for weeks.
This unhappy state of affairs has been ongoing now in Indonesia for more than two years, with varying levels of cooperation and disclosure during that time.
Officially Indonesia has seen 139 human infections, with 113 fatalities.
Exactly how prevalent human cases really are in that region is hard to calculate. Most observers believe, however, that the true number is greater than has been reported.
