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Test results negative in suspected bird flu patients

Tb. Arie Rukmantara, Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Medan

Preliminary laboratory tests of six suspected bird flu cases in North Sumatra were negative for the virus, Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari said Thursday.

"The tests came back negative. We didn't find H5N1 in their specimens," she said of results from three government-accredited laboratories in Jakarta.

"They have common influenza."

She also said the government would now rely on the local laboratories for H5N1 testing, instead of the current practice of sending samples to a WHO-sanctioned facility overseas.

The six people were from Kabanjahe district, Karo regency, which was the site of a eight-member cluster in May, the world's largest.

She cautioned that the results were tentative because they were tested when they were showing bird flu-like symptoms, including fever and respiratory difficulties.

"Hopefully it will stay negative," she said, adding that a second test was being carried out.

The people were found during surveillance conducted by the local administration after the detection of H5N1-infected chickens in Sumbul village. It is only five kilometers from Tiga Panah district, where the world's largest bird flu cluster found in May.

The WHO has said limited human-to-human transmission probably occurred in that cluster, but the government has consistently said the virus genotype indicated it was from infected poultry.

Although most of the country's 43 human deaths have been traced to contact with sick birds, experts fear that the virus could mutate into a form easily transmittable among humans, sparking a global pandemic with the potential to kill millions.

Siti also said that beginning Thursday the government would no longer send samples to a WHO-sanctioned lab in Hong Kong because she considered local laboratories were sufficiently qualified.

She referred to a lab owned by her office's research and development department, an Eijkman Institute laboratory and the U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit-2 laboratory, all based in the capital.

However, the government will continue to send specimens for research purposes to one of the WHO-sanctioned labs around the world.

In North Sumatra, the National Commission on Bird Flu established Thursday a coordinating post in Karo, with its main task to contain H5N1 from spreading to other areas.

Rizal Mallarangeng, an expert staff to Coordinating Minister for the People's Welfare and commission chief Aburizal Bakrie, will head the post.

"We estimate that the post will be in operation for the next six months," Rizal told The Jakarta Post.

He said he was formulating strategies with the local administration to promote awareness and involvement of the local people.

The head of Karo regency's livestock agency, Shidarta Pinem, said one of the undertakings would be to monitor the poultry cull currently underway.

The agency's data showed that as of Thursday, 12,800 birds had been culled. The government has promised to provide compensation from Rp 10,000 to Rp 12,500 for each culled fowl.

Karo regent D.D. Sinulingga also announced the issuance of a decree banning people or businesses from transporting poultry and fertilizers in or out of the regency.