# 4290
Ida at The Bird Flu Information Corner has a translation this morning of a new report on the 41 year-old agricultural extension worker from West Java (reported yesterday by Crof on Crofsblog) hospitalized and suspected of H5N1 infection. This comes on top of the report of a 10 year-old similarly hospitalized from East Java yesterday.
The problem is, whether positive or negative, we rarely hear how these cases turn out.
As an example, on January 7th, Indonesian newspapers reported that the Sanglah hospital on the island of Bali was treating 5 bird flu suspects (see Meanwhile, Back In Indonesia . . .).
A full 19 days later, and we’ve heard no update.
One hopes they tested negative . . . but we don’t know that. An no, that’s not the only `lost’ case since the first of the year.
Despite dozens of news reports of suspect bird flu cases in Indonesia during the course 2009, it would take till the next to the last day of the year for the Indonesian MOH (Ministry of Health) to issue a statement.
And then, all we learned were that 20 cases had been identified, of which 19 died.
Admittedly, this lack of an official feedback loop makes attempts to track these cases frustrating. Still, the alternative is to ignore press reports of suspect cases, in which case the Indonesian MOH policy of obfuscation and delay will have succeeded.
Here then is the latest from BFIC.
Cirebon, West Java ::: Forty-year-old extension worker treated as bird flu suspect
January 26, 2010Cirebon – A resident of Kelurahan Tukmudal, Keamatan Sumber, Kabupaten Cirebon, with initial Dur (41), had been stated as bird flu suspect since Thursday (21/1). Until Monday (25/1), Dur is still being treated at isolation unit Ruang X of Gunungjati regional hospital.
Patient had high fever and nausea at the time of admission. Patient, who is an agriculture and livestock extension worker for government, was reported to have had contact with numbers of suddenly died chickens.
Vice Director of Medical Service and Treatment of Gunungjati hospital, Lucya Agung, said patient was treated at isolation unit until confirmation test issued by laboratory of Ministry of Health.
“We expect to receive the result on Wednesday. We cannot conclude anything before receiving the result,” said Lucya.
“Patient doesn’t show specific bird flu symptoms, but because he had contact with sick chickens, he should be isolated,” added Lucya.
Source: Indonesia local newspaper, Pikiran Rakyat.
