February 3, 2004

 

 

Indonesia Confirms H5N1 Bird Flu Strain

 

The Indonesian government confirmed that the bird flu virus currently sweeping through the country is the same H5N1 strain as the one that has jumped to humans elsewhere in Asia. But authorities were quick to dismiss rumours that bird flu has spread to humans.

 

Indonesian officials previously said only milder versions of bird flu - ones not known to infect humans - had been confirmed in poultry here, although health experts had suspected there was also an outbreak of the more dangerous H5N1 strain.

 

"The results from the field show that the avian influenza found in Indonesia is H5N1, and Indonesia has reported this finding to the World Health Organization," said Trisatya Naipospos, an Agriculture Ministry official.

 

Health officials said no humans in Indonesia had been infected with bird flu.

 

The WHO representative in Indonesia, Georg Petersen, said "we suspected it was also here" and said appropriate action must be taken now that it has been confirmed.

 

More Surveillance, Proper Protection Needed

 

"We must intensify surveillance of possible transmission to humans, and we also would like to see that everyone employed in the killing of chickens is properly protected against possible transmission," Petersen said.

 

Officials blame the H5N1 strain of bird flu for infecting people in Vietnam and Thailand, leaving at least 12 people dead. Most of those cases have been traced to direct contact with sick birds.

 

Tens of millions of chickens have been slaughtered in government-ordered culls throughout the region as 10 governments battle to contain bird flu.

 

The disease also has hit poultry farms in Cambodia, China, Japan, Laos, Pakistan, South Korea and Taiwan. However, international health officials say the strain of bird flu striking Taiwan and Pakistan is different from the one hitting the other countries and isn't considered a serious threat to humans.

 

Indonesia only last week acknowledged the presence of bird flu in its chicken stocks, which WHO officials say has been here for months. President Megawati Sukarnoputri ordered a mass cull of chickens in areas infected with the flu.

 

Officials said 111 chicken farmers in the tourist island of Bali - which has been hard hit by the virus - were tested for bird flu and came out clean. Similar blood tests were taken from 100 farmers near the capital of Jakarta, also with no confirmed cases.

 

Last week, the government said bird flu would cost the country nearly US$1 billion and result in the loss of more than 1.2 million jobs.

 

Iswandi, assistant manager of a large supermarket in downtown Jakarta, said Tuesday that chicken sales had dropped 50% since December.

 

"As long as people are scared and worrying about the flu, they won't eat chicken," he said.

 

The government has come under heavy criticism for failing to alert the public of the threat and for being slow to respond.

 

"I completely stopped eating chicken when I found out that the government was engaged in a cover-up and I won't start eating it again until I believe they're telling the truth," said Nicole Lediard, a psychologist from California who resides in Jakarta.