On February 22, Indonesia reported an additional woman has died from H5N1, while Malaysia and India are anxiously awaiting test results for around 20 individuals suspected of avian influenza who have been hospitalized.
Previously, the Indian government had planned to cull hundreds of thousands of poultry after the H5N1 avian influenza virus spread to this densely populated country, where many residents in rural areas have direct contact with livestock and poultry in their backyards.
Currently, 12 individuals exhibiting symptoms of avian influenza have been isolated at a hospital in Navapur, a city in the state of Maharashtra. According to Indian health authorities, test results for these patients may be released by the evening of February 22.
Meanwhile, concerns about the outbreak are rising as many cases of dead poultry have been reported in other states. According to an electronic bulletin from the World Health Organization (WHO), in Vaira, Gujarat (adjacent to Maharashtra), three people are under observation due to symptoms of avian influenza.
In Indonesia, the Ministry of Health announced that a 27-year-old woman in Jakarta has died. According to local test results, she could be the 20th victim of H5N1 in Indonesia. Authorities are considering distributing the antiviral drug Tamiflu free of charge to health centers in high-risk areas such as Jakarta and several provinces on the island of Java.
In neighboring Malaysia, the government has initiated a testing campaign to search for the virus in poultry due to concerns that H5N1 may spread through illegally imported fighting chickens. The Malaysian Minister of Health reported that seven individuals (including two adults and five children aged 2 to 12) living near an outbreak detected two days ago have been hospitalized after experiencing respiratory issues. Tests on samples from these patients are currently underway.
L.XUÂN (According to Reuters)
