- Title: INDONESIA: SIX PEOPLE ARE NOW IN HOSPITAL SUFFERING FROM BIRD FLU
- Date: 24th October 2005
- Summary: (W2)JAKARTA, INDONESIA (SEPTEMBER 20, 2005) (REUTERS) 1. SLV EXTERIOR OF SULIANTI SUROSO INFECTIOUS DISEASE HOSPITAL 2. CLOSEUP SIGN 3. VISITORS WEARING PROTECTIVE MASKS 4. SIGN OF ISOLATION WARD 5. HOSPITAL STAFF LEAVING WARD 6. SIGN ON DOOR SAYING NO ENTRANCE FOR VISITORS 7. ROW OF ISOLATION ROOMS 8. WIDE OF HEALTH MINISTER WALKING WITH COORDINATING MINISTER FOR WELFARE 0.45 9. (SOUNDBITE) (Bahasa Indonesia) HEALTH MINISTER SITI FADILLAH SUPARI SAYING: "We are treating and monitoring six people at this moment, two of whom are almost for certain having been infected by bird flu because their initial test results came out positive. Four others are still under observation, but despite having shown symptoms of bird flu, their laboratory tests are still negative" 1.10 10. JOURNALISTS 1.13 11. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ALWI SHIHAB, COORDINATING MINISTER FOR WELFARE, SAYING: "I think this will be a regional issue, you know any country is prone to this virus. So we cannot take it for granted that this is only an Indonesian issue. This is a global issue. Otherwise, the American government will just let it go because it's far away from the United States, but this is a global issue. If Indonesia is hit today, it could be tomorrow the Philippines, or Singapore. How can you prevent a virus from being flown from one place to the other?" 1.49 12. SLV EXTERIOR OF BIRD MARKET 13. VARIOUS OF OFFICIALS INSPECTING BIRD MARKET 14. VARIOUS OF OFFICIAL COLLECTING BLOOD SAMPLE FROM BIRD 15. MORE OF BIRD MARKET 16. EXOTIC BIRDS FOR SALE INSIDE CAGE 17. MORE OF OFFICIAL COLLECTING BODY FLUID SAMPLE FROM ANOTHER BIRD 18. MORE OF MARKET 3.07 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 8th November 2005 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: JAKARTA, INDONESIA
- Country: Indonesia
- Reuters ID: LVAA2WMSTZG24TU906TI7CXVP6NY
- Story Text: Six Indonesians now in hospital for bird flu.
A total of six people have now been hospitalised with suspected bird
flu in Indonesia as the country struggled to contain the virus that has killed
four people.
Four children and two adults are currently being treated and put under
close observation at the Sulianti Suroso Infectious Disease Hospital in the
capital Jakarta for showing symptoms of bird flu and some for having actually
tested positive for the H5N1 virus in their preliminary blood tests.
Indonesia sends blood tests from all suspected bird flu cases to Hong
Kong for confirmation.
"We are treating and monitoring six people at this moment, two of
whom are almost for certain having been infected by bird flu because their
initial test results came out positive. Four others are still under
observation, but despite having shown symptoms of bird flu, their laboratory
tests are still negative," Health Minister Siti Fadillah Supari announced
on Tuesday (September 20).
The government put the country on a special nationwide high-alert
status for bird flu on Monday (September 19), the same day authorities closed
Jakarta's main zoo for three weeks after tests showed some exotic birds had
been infected with avian flu.
The highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of the virus has killed four
Indonesians, including one woman who died in Jakarta a week ago. The virus has
killed 64 people in four Asian countries since late 2003 and has also spread
to Russia and Europe.
"I think this will be a regional issue, you know any country is
prone to this virus. So we cannot take it for granted that this is only an
Indonesian issue. This is a global issue. Otherwise, the American government
will just let it go because it's far away from the United States, but this is
a global issue. If Indonesia is hit today, it could be tomorrow the
Philippines, or Singapore. How can you prevent a virus from being flown from
one place to the other?" warned Alwi Shihab, Indonesia's Coordinating
Minister for Welfare.
Authorities are still investigating how bird flu victims got infected
and now fearing that wild birds might have caused the recent outbreak at the
zoo, thus making it harder to control the spread of the virus. None of the
bird flu victims could so far be directly linked to poultry farms that had
been affected by an outbreak of avian flu.
One of the six people under close observation for bird flu at the
hospital is a 28-year-old Ragunan Zoo employee, while another is a 39-year-old
vendor who worked outside the zoo complex.
Four others are children between the age of three and nine, one of whom
the nephew of the 37-year-old woman killed by the virus last week.
The high-alert status for bird flu means the government can order
people suspected of having symptoms to be hospitalised. It also means that
people can receive free diagnosis and treatment for bird-flu related
symptoms.
The country's health ministry are also conducting a joint effort with
the agriculture ministry in stepping up vigilance against the virus.
Officials on Tuesday (September 20) paid a visit to one of Jakarta's
bird markets, where various exotic birds from across Indonesia are sold. Blood
and body fluid samples were taken to see whether any of the birds there might
have been infected by the avian virus.
A large number of families in Indonesia keep birds as pets in their
homes.
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