WHO confirms four human cases of avian flu in Indonesia
http://www.100md.com
《英国医生杂志》
The World Health Organization has so far confirmed four cases of H5N1 avian influenza in humans in Indonesia, three of them fatal. All the people were known to have had direct contact with diseased birds.
The Indonesian authorities had previously announced six deaths associated with the virus but then lowered their count to five after further laboratory tests failed to confirm the original diagnosis. WHO has not yet confirmed that the two additional fatal cases recorded by the Indonesian government were due to the virus.
A further 50 people are under observation, having presented to hospitals in Indonesia with respiratory symptoms. "Unfortunately they are being portrayed in the media as suspected cases of H5N1, but that is a misclassification," said Gina Samaan, an epidemiologist with WHO in Jakarta. "They are being investigated to exclude H5N1, and the increased numbers are what you would expect after a confirmed case, which is an influx of people due to increased surveillance and public awareness."
The Indonesian authorities have asked for foreign aid and expertise to help manage the outbreak and prepare for a possible pandemic. The country already has a national pandemic aid plan, which WHO helped to formulate, and the organisation is now helping to coordinate an influx of experts on funding and on avian flu.
Ms Samaan said, "There has been a rather large response, and we are seeing Japanese, Australian, and US consultants coming in. The WHO's resources on the ground are being supported by $2.3m in funding from the Australian government for management, surveillance, and infection control in hospitals and also surveillance ."
Avian flu is now endemic in poultry in Indonesia and has also been found in zoo birds. The Indonesian government has been slow to order mass culling of poultry, the tactic used in other Asian countries to try to halt outbreaks. "We have not adopted the strategy of stamping out yet, because when the bird flu outbreak happened it spread too quickly for us to react," said Agus Heryanto, deputy director of animal surveillance at the Ministry of Agriculture, in an interview with Reuters.
"Indonesia is going through what Vietnam went through a few months ago and is realising the potential for avian flu to develop into something more serious," said Ms Samaan. "The government is responding positively, but it is a challenge for any country to completely eradicate the problem."(Jane Parry)
The Indonesian authorities had previously announced six deaths associated with the virus but then lowered their count to five after further laboratory tests failed to confirm the original diagnosis. WHO has not yet confirmed that the two additional fatal cases recorded by the Indonesian government were due to the virus.
A further 50 people are under observation, having presented to hospitals in Indonesia with respiratory symptoms. "Unfortunately they are being portrayed in the media as suspected cases of H5N1, but that is a misclassification," said Gina Samaan, an epidemiologist with WHO in Jakarta. "They are being investigated to exclude H5N1, and the increased numbers are what you would expect after a confirmed case, which is an influx of people due to increased surveillance and public awareness."
The Indonesian authorities have asked for foreign aid and expertise to help manage the outbreak and prepare for a possible pandemic. The country already has a national pandemic aid plan, which WHO helped to formulate, and the organisation is now helping to coordinate an influx of experts on funding and on avian flu.
Ms Samaan said, "There has been a rather large response, and we are seeing Japanese, Australian, and US consultants coming in. The WHO's resources on the ground are being supported by $2.3m in funding from the Australian government for management, surveillance, and infection control in hospitals and also surveillance ."
Avian flu is now endemic in poultry in Indonesia and has also been found in zoo birds. The Indonesian government has been slow to order mass culling of poultry, the tactic used in other Asian countries to try to halt outbreaks. "We have not adopted the strategy of stamping out yet, because when the bird flu outbreak happened it spread too quickly for us to react," said Agus Heryanto, deputy director of animal surveillance at the Ministry of Agriculture, in an interview with Reuters.
"Indonesia is going through what Vietnam went through a few months ago and is realising the potential for avian flu to develop into something more serious," said Ms Samaan. "The government is responding positively, but it is a challenge for any country to completely eradicate the problem."(Jane Parry)