Indonesia Confirms First Human Deaths From Bird Flu

[pandemic_1918]

Indonesia Confirms First Human Deaths From Bird Flu
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/20...

By Alan Sipress
Washington Post Foreign Service
Wednesday, July 20, 2005; 11:18 AM

JAKARTA, Indonesia, July 20 -- An Indonesian man died last week from bird flu, marking the country's first confirmed fatality from the highly lethal virus now circulating in much of Southeast Asia, health officials reported Wednesday.

Indonesian health officials have further concluded that two of his daughters, who died within days of him with similar influenza symptoms, were also killed by the disease although definitive laboratory results are lacking in their cases.


Avian influenza has already killed at least 56 people in Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia since early last year. While the virus has struck poultry across much of Indonesia, contributing to the death of millions of birds, the country had been spared human infection until a farm worker tested positive for the disease last month with an extremely mild case.

Then, two weeks ago, a one-year-old girl from Tangerang in Jakarta's western suburbs died soon after being taken to a hospital suffering from a high fever and respiratory problems. Her father, Iwan Siswara Rafei, 37, died four days later, followed the next day by his 8-year-old daughter.

[SnowGoose]

1. Kick

and thanks for the regular updates on this important subject.

[RaleighNCDUer]

2. Not good.

"Rafei, who worked as an employee in the government finance department, did not raise poultry. Health officials reported they have no evidence that members of his family had close contact with birds."

So far, every case has been directly attributable to contact with birds. If it has jumped to humans now, this extremely lethal flu could be the next great pandemic.

[pandemic_1918]

3. Pandemic Concerns

Yes, new cluster raise pandemic concerns. The father was a government auditor with a masters degree. However, H5N1 has been detected in pigs in the same area

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/07200505/H5N1_Indones...

[RaleighNCDUer]

4. That's comforting.

I'm sure government office workers have a lot of direct contact with pigs.

"Unfortunately, H5N1 does not read press releases."

[pandemic_1918]

5. Bird Flu Migrates to Russia

H5 confirmed in Russia (400 miles north or Tacheng Xinjiang)

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/07210501/H5_Russia_Ou...

[pandemic_1918]

6. Raging Pandemic in China

Word leaking out of possible ongoing raging pandemic in China

http://news.google.com/news?q=raging%20bird%20flu&hl=en...

[barb162]

8. kick

[barb162]

7. Just reading this stuff I want to stop all air travel NOW between

here and Asia and any connecting flights. Geez this is scary stuff!

[pandemic_1918]

9. Resistance to Military Enforced Quarantine

There is more to come. Resistance to military enforcement of quarantine.

[barb162]

11. can you expand on that a bit? resisitance by whom, what, Indonesia?

[pandemic_1918]

12. Link to Resistance and Military in China

More info on military and resistance to H5N1 quarantines

http://news.google.com/news?q=h5n1%20military&hl=en&lr=...

[Tyler Durden]

10. You left out the WORST PART.

There is an excellent reason WHY pigs were used for insulin, replacement heart valves, skin graft protection...THEY ARE VERY CLOSE TO US, MEDICALLY.

In the same news from Indonesia, on NPR last night, they also revealed that the same people who died from Bird Flu had a pig that was ALSO positive for H5N1 (Bird Flu).

Swine are a virus transition vector for interspecies transfer to HUMANS.

I'll write you all from that small town in Canada.

[pandemic_1918]

13. H5N1 in Pigs

H5N1 was in pigs in same Jakarta suburb. The father was an auditor. Don't think they had pigs.

[barb162]

14. there's a somewhat parallel thread going on now on this below

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...