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Hospital confirms bird flu negative
Sanglah Hospital in Denpasar announced Tuesday no new bird flu case was found following a thorough medical examination of five residents from Karangasem regency suspected of infection
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Sanglah Hospital in Denpasar announced Tuesday no new bird flu case was found following a thorough medical examination of five residents from Karangasem regency suspected of infection.
Two of the five patients were suffering from acute pneumonia. They are currently being treated at the state hospital, which has been appointed to handle bird flu incidents in Bali.
The five were identified as Ni Nengah Rata, Sri Dianawati, Wayan Sudi, Wayan Dana, and 10-year-old Ketut Sujana.
"We have got confirmation they are not infected with the bird flu virus. Their infection was caused mainly by bacteria," IGB Ken Wirasandhi, secretary of Sanglah Hospital's bird flu prevention working group, said Tuesday.
The five were among the 44 Lokasari village residents from Sidemen district in Karangasem taken to local hospitals over the weekend after complaining about symptoms akin to bird flu symptom: coughing and high fever.
Concerned they were infected with bird flu, the village head took the initiative Saturday to send five suffering most severely to Sanglah Hospital and the rest to Amlapura General Hospital in Karangasem.
Those treated at the Amlapura hospital were immediately sent home after being examined.
Ken said the absence of bird flu infection was confirmed given after laboratory tests were conducted twice, examining the patients' white blood cells and conducting a polymerized chain reaction test.
If the patients had contracted the virus, the number of their while blood cells would have dropped. Instead their white cell counts tested high, indicating their infection was not caused by the bird flu virus, he said.
As for the many patients who were simultaneously showing the same symptoms, Ken had no idea what was causing it.
"We need more time, possibly another seven days, to determine the cause of the mass infection in that village," the doctor said.
Ken appreciated the quick reaction by the head of Lokasari village, who immediately took inventory on those affected by the infection. This, he said, is very important to help detect any bird flu infections as early as possible before it might spread to nearby areas.
The lives of two Balinese infected by the bird flu virus could not be salvaged as medical assistance came too late.
Sanglah Hospital has thus far treated 26 bird flu cases, two of whom died last year. Bali is one of the 10 provinces where bird flu cases are found in Indonesia.
The hospital's bird flu prevention working group has aggressively campaigned on how to medically treat bird flu infection in Bali.
The group consists of medical specialists with various backgrounds, including internists.
Doctor Ken further reminded the residents to remain vigilant against any bird flu infection symptoms.
"I'm afraid the Balinese will mistakenly consider bird flu infection as Newcastle disease, popularly known as grubug here," he said.
Newcastle disease is a highly contagious disease affecting many domestic and wild avian species which can pass to humans. Outbreaks have frequently taken place in Bali and is often taken lightly as a routine occurrence, he said.
This perception may cause local residents to respond too late to possible bird flu infections, he added.
