Indonesia finds first human case of bird flu

	Tweet

The first human case of bird flu was identified in Indonesia after a poultry worker tested positive this month, a World Health Organisation (WHO) official said on Thursday.

But the poultry worker shows no symptoms of the disease, and due the low concentration of antibodies he no longer carries the virus, the Jakarta-based official said.

The poultry worker was first tested in March after an outbreak hit South Sulawesi province killing around 25,000 fowl.

Out of the 81 people tested, his test at a Hong Kong laboratory showed a positive result, prompting another examination.

“The second test showed the exact same result as the first test, what’s called a very low concentration of antibody,” said Steven Bjorge, an epidemiologist.

“If the second (test) showed a high concentration of antibody that would indicate that he had a recent infection.”

The second test was completed this month as health officials had lost track of the person after his poultry business went bankrupt.

The H5N1 virus has killed 54 people across Asia, including 38 Vietnamese, 12 Thais and four Cambodians since late 2003.

Since the disease emerged in late 2003 in Indonesia, health authorities have tested more than 1,000 samples from poultry workers, veterinarians and others exposed to the deadly disease.

Indonesia’s agriculture ministry has reported sporadic H5N1 outbreaks in fowl in South Sulawesi, West Java and Central Java in the first three months of this year, and had confirmed the virus had jumped species and was discovered in pigs last month.

Scientists fear the avian flu, which is infectious in birds but does not spread easily among humans, could mutate into a form capable of generating a pandemic in which millions of people without immunity could die. 

RELATED STORIES:
U.S. has 20 deaths from new flu strain   Evaluation of an inactivated subunit H5N1 influenza virus vaccine in humans   UK and U.S. look to stockpile more Roche flu drug   Another child dies from suspected bird flu in Turkey   H1N1 Flu Vaccine Safe in Patients with Kidney Failure or Transplant   Echinacea combo may prevent kids’ colds: study   New approach to defeating flu shows promise   Taiwan builds stockpiles of influenza drug   Study Suggests H1N1 Virus More Dangerous than Suspected   Bulgarian man tests negative for H5N1 bird flu   Nasal Flu Vaccine in Kids: One Dose Is Good, but Two Are Better   Myanmar asked to check bird flu report - FAO

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]