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Funeral of the 16-year-old victim suspected of bird flu. |
The suspected case involves a 16-year-old girl who died at a hospital in Jakarta. The victim lived near a large poultry market. Currently, samples are being sent for further testing.
“Based on the symptoms of the girl, particularly the high fever, severe pneumonia, and the rapid decrease of lymphocytes in her blood, we suspect that the patient has contracted bird flu,” said Ilham Patu, a representative from Sulianti Saroso Hospital, where the victim was treated. The girl’s condition deteriorated rapidly after she was admitted to the hospital last Sunday. If H5N1 is confirmed as the culprit, this would mark the sixth bird flu victim in Indonesia.
The girl lived in a residential area in eastern Jakarta, close to a large poultry market. Her parents reported that they also raised some poultry at home, but none had died. Doctors have collected blood and respiratory samples from relatives and neighbors who had direct contact with the victim. Samples have also been taken from dozens of poultry in two families that the victim frequently visited.
As of now, Indonesia has recorded more than 12 suspected cases of bird flu, with only 5 confirmed cases. Four other individuals carrying the virus have recovered or are still undergoing treatment.
Previously, a 19-year-old girl living in the western part of the capital also passed away. A neighbor of the victim reported that 11 chickens from the family died under unclear circumstances earlier in October and were discarded in a trash pile near a pond where children often played. The victim’s 8-year-old younger brother, who played in that area, also contracted H5N1 but survived.
Mỹ Linh (according to AFP)
