Published Date: 2004-10-06 23:50:00
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Avian influenza - Eastern Asia (121): Indonesia
Archive Number: 20041006.2746
AVIAN INFLUENZA - EASTERN ASIA (121): INDONESIA
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Date: Wed 6 Oct 2004
From: Henry Niman <henry_niman@recombinomics.com>
Source: Reuters News, Wed 6 Oct 2004 [edited]
<http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=6427113§ion=newsJAKARTA>
Indonesia: sequence difference suggests virus not transmissible to humans
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Indonesia's agriculture ministry said on Wed 6 Oct 2004 that tests showed
[the avian influenza virus] strain that had killed millions of chickens in
the country could not be transmitted to humans. Tests conducted at a
laboratory in Hong Kong, to which Jakarta was referred by the World Health
Organization, found that the H5N1 avian influenza virus strain in Indonesia
was different from that [circulating] in Thailand and Viet Nam, said Tri
Satya Putri Naipospos, director of animal health at the ministry.
"The genetics analysis showed that the [RNA] chain of our virus is similar
to the kind in the Yunan province on mainland China, and distinct from that
in Viet Nam and Thailand," Naipospos said. "And we've always questioned why
there are no human cases in Indonesia." But Naipospos said the possibility
lay open for the virus to mutate into a deadlier form that could be
transmitted to humans.
Around 16 million fowl, out of a population of around one billion, have
died in Indonesia since the end of last year [2003] due to avian influenza
and Newcastle disease, the agriculture ministry says. The disease hit a
chicken farm in Central Java last week [final week of Sep 2004], killing
350 birds. The carcasses were cremated to prevent the virus from spreading
to other areas. "It is not a new [outbreak], as the area was affected last
year [2003]," Naipospos said. Overall, she said, avian influenza was under
control, but sporadic outbreaks might occur during the rainy season that
usually runs from October to February. Asked whether the government could
take firmer action by killing healthy chickens in affected areas, Naipospos
said: "We simply don't have the money for compensation."
--
Henry L Niman, PhD
<henry_niman@recombinomics.com>
[Although sequence analysis may suggest that the Indonesian isolate of H5N1
influenza virus resembles Chinese isolates more than avian influenza
viruses circulating in Thailand and Viet Nam, it is premature to relate
this to the potential transmissibility of the Indonesian strain.
Nonetheless it is likely, in due course, that phylogenetic data of this
type will lead ultimately to the understanding of the genetic determination
of transmissibility of avian H5N1 virus to humans. - Mod.CP]
See Also
Avian influenza - Eastern Asia (119): Thailand 20041002.2717Avian influenza - Eastern Asia (119): China 20040929.2688
Avian influenza - Eastern Asia (115): map 20040915.2567
Avian influenza - Eastern Asia (95): Viet Nam, Ind... 20040721.1982
Avian influenza - Eastern Asia (89): China 20040712.1869
Avian influenza - Eastern Asia (88): Thailand, China 20040712.1864
Avian influenza - Eastern Asia (87): Viet Nam, Ind... 20040708.1830
Avian influenza - Eastern Asia (85): China, Thailand 20040707.1821
Avian influenza - Eastern Asia 20040114.0145
...................cp/msp/sh
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