Posted on 11/28/2005 12:26:51 AM PST by Termite_Commander
Bird flu has been detected throughout the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, with the country's Agriculture Minister Anton Apriyantono admitting: "It's very serious. Based on our research, the virus has spread all over the city." The findings were announced after random samples were gathered from backyard farms throughout the sprawling capital.
Authorities Friday also destroyed 400 fowl in a residential area of Jakarta near the home of a young girl who died from the disease.
Indonesia has been reluctant to carry out such mass slaughters, citing a lack of money. But affected farmers were Friday offered some compensation.
The H5N1 virus has been found in 23 of Indonesia's 30 provinces and has killed seven people.
Almost simultaneously with news of the city plight came word that Swiss- based drug manufacturer Roche will let Indonesia produce the anti-viral drug Tamiflu to help fight cases of bird flu in humans.
Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari said she had received permission from Roche earlier Friday, so "we can produce Tamiflu in our own factories."
Tamiflu, with the generic name oseltamivir, has shown promise in treating human infections.
Supari said production would start as "soon as possible" after the government had decided whether to source the raw materials for the drug from China or Korea. Roche would provide assistance in the production process.
Supari said that 90 percent state- owned Kimia Farma has already said it wanted to produce the drug but that "anyone with experience" can apply for a license.
Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said last week that domestic Tamiflu production was needed as the country's current inventory was insufficient.
In Switzerland, a spokesman for Roche said Indonesia was free to produce Tamiflu as long as the product was distributed only in the domestic market. Meanwhile, bird flu was also spreading in Vietnam Friday, with the case of a man suspected to be infected with the virus fleeing a hospital quarantine unit causing particular alarm.
The southern Mekong Delta province of Long An became the newest area to report bird flu outbreaks among poultry, the Department of Animal Health announced.
Outbreaks have been reported in 19 other provinces since October, killing or forcing the slaughter of more than a million birds.
In southern Tien Giang province, a man who had been admitted to hospital after complaining of a high fever was transferred to an isolation ward. But he left - saying he needed to buy personal items - and never returned.
The man had told doctors that he slaughtered his sick chickens a week before falling ill.
ping
Ping
I guess you're supposed to bring your own aspirin.
Bump
Good Morning from the swamps of Georgia, Iowa Granny.
Foggy and hazey here yesterday, drizzle and rain (moisture was needed). We are suppose to have crumby weather all week. My joints are creeking and aching, so it must be true.
Actually, it's like that here- Mrs. B ( AKA the Lovely Emily ) has a titanium plate in her neck which is an amazingly accurate short-range weather forecaster. When she starts stiffening up, we batten down the hatches because bad weather follows.
Indonesia is becoming as corrupt at the global policy level as it traditionally has been with international business.
When SBY became president the rumor was that he would no longer accept international loans but instead hold out for grants, and indeed Indo refused a multi-million dollar loan to fight avain flu just weeks ago, saying it wanted cash only.
Recall Indo also begged for money for the tsunami, and has been dragging its feet on terrorism for several years.
Compared to Vietnam, with a per-capita GDP 2/3 that of Indonesia, and they don't hesitate to act when needed (except on the little matter of being a communist government).
I have a stel rod in my left leg, and these big staples in my right that do the same thing. When they start aching It means a change is coming.
Regarding tamiflu, I thought they were saying that stuff wasn't effective against this bird flu?
Regarding the first- ow!
I do sympathize... while it's amazing what modern medicine can do, you're never really quite the same once they take you apart and put you back together again.
Regarding tamiflu, near the "last" of that post of mine are links, and I gather that opinions vary from "not effective at all" to "may be somewhat effective."
While I still think there's no need to hit the panic button over bird flu, it bears watching.
At many hospitals in Indonesia there are no drugs or other items which are not brought to the hospitals by the patient or the family. One time, a student of mine was admitted for appendicitis. Everything stopped once the diagnosis was made for us to leave and purchase drugs from the list we were given. We also had to bring food for him during the recovery period.
OOOps my bad. I should have read more closely. Your incident happened in China. Oh well. My statement on Indo hospitals stands though. It's easy to leave and not go back.
Coincidently, so do I. C-2 thru C-7, with screws. Like Mrs. B, I am a walking weather forecaster who doesn't need maps, graphs or charts to make my predictions.
Again, ow!
She has six bolts as well- C-5 was the problem; the levels above and below are locked by the plate, and bone plugs as well.
Whiplash is an UGLY, UGLY injury. Unless you've been there it's hard to understand.
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