# 2834
One of the difficulties in pinpointing human infections from the H5N1 virus is that early on, it can mimic dozens of other diseases.
And of course, the opposite is true.
Dengue, Chikungunya, seasonal influenzas, community acquired pneumonia's, and a host of other viral fevers can look a lot like bird flu, particularly in the early stages of the disease.
Perhaps the most common admission chart entry here in the United States, and I suspect around the world, is FUO : Fever of Undetermined Origin.
It takes time to run lab tests, grow bacterial cultures, and to come up with a definitive diagnosis. In the meantime, in those areas where H5N1 is prevalent, it makes sense to isolate suspected cases.
Today Indonesian Health Officials are announcing that two previously suspected bird flu cases from Tangerang have tested negative for the virus.
A hat tip to Dutchy on Flutrackers for posting this item.
Two Tangerang residents test negative for bird flu
The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Thu, 02/26/2009 1:53 PM | Jakarta
Tangerang health agency on Thursday said two residents of Kampung Geruduk, Tangerang, who were suspected of having contracted the avian influenza virus had tested negative for the deadly disease.
“Both tests came back negative,” health agency official Yully Soenar said, as quoted by tempointeraktif.com on Thursday.
The 15-year-old Maya Suparni and 2-year-old Muhammad Heru were being treated in the bird flu isolation unit at Tangerang General Hospital for almost a week.
The pair were admitted to the unit when the hospital found they had high fever and difficulty breathing, and local authorities reported that there was dead poultry near their places of residence.
Yully said the symptoms found were indicative of acute respiratory infection disease and bronchitis. (dre)
