Bekasi bird shop owner suspected of avian flu infection

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Sun, August 20, 2017

The inhabitant of a house that also serves as a bird shop on Jl. Gang Gamprit in Jatiwaringin, Bekasi, has been admitted to the hospital following indications of avian influenza.

The 30-year-old housewife complained of respiratory problems on Aug. 7 and was taken to the Cibitung Hospital two days later. Early findings at the hospital show that she might have contracted the H5N1 virus. The patient has been transferred to the Sulianti Saroso Hospital in North Jakarta, the country’s hospital tasked with confirming cases of avian flu.

Aceng, a neighbor of the family, expressed surprise over indications that the patient may have contracted the virus.
“I saw that [the family] always keep the bird cages clean,” he said as quoted by wartakota.tribunnews.com on Sunday.

The family had begun to sell birds three years ago, after previously selling food.

Local officials have come to inspect the house and its surroundings upon hearing about the resident’s illness, collecting four dead birds in the area.

Indonesia was among the countries with most cases of bird flu when an outbreak hit Asia in early 2000. In 2006, the country suffered a peak of contagion, with 55 human infections and 45 deaths. There were also concerns of human-to-human transmission at the time.



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