Indonesia: MOH Distributes Circular to all Chief Medical Officers Re: Awareness of New Clade #H5N1

January 14, 2013
Ministry of Health has not been able to infer the level of danger of bird flu virus to humans clade 2.3.2. The reason, in Indonesia has not been found in cases of human deaths from the new strain. "So far the cases are found in ducks and pretty much spread in Indonesia. But so far no attack humans," said Director General of Disease Control and Environmental Health Ministry of Health Professor Chandra Yoga Aditama met at the Port Health Office (KKP) Soekarno Hatta Airport in Tangerang, Banten, on Wednesday (2/1) night.

Nevertheless, Chandra said, it does not turn a blind eye that clade 2.3.2 has been killed in a number of other countries , such as China, Hong Kong and Bangladesh.

 MoH has requested an overview to the WHO, but no definitive answer. "WHO can not provide specific analysis of what a difference this virus before. Due to a limited number of human cases. Handling still like H5N1 virus (bird flu virus type 2.1 or first) . In humans has not been able to conclude whether it is dangerous or not," said Chandra.

Avian Influenza (AI) or bird flu has been endemic in Indonesia since 2003 coded clade 2.1 sub-clade 2.1.3, the only class of pathogens in poultry chickens.
 However, now the AI virus that attacks the duck is different from the previous type because it has a more pathogenic clade 2.3.2, causing morbidity and mortality is high in ducks.

 addition to passing the WHO, said Chandra, the Ministry of Health monitor the development of the case of bird flu virus clade 2.3 .2 through international meetings, particularly with countries affected by the virus.

 Chandra also claims to have been optimizing prevention by distributing warning letters to its ranks as Indonesia. "Once there was a circular from the Directorate General of Livestock Services, I also made ​​a circular to all Chief Medical Officer in Indonesia to be aware of anything at all about a new clade, lest contracting man, " said Chadra.   According to Chandra, who chaired the National Commission Zoononis Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare has called a meeting of relevant ministers clade 2.3.2. In the meeting, Coordinated things to raise awareness of the virus transmitted to humans. 

past two months, hundreds of thousands of ducks died of bird flu virus clade 2.3.2 in a number of provinces in Indonesia. The first case was discovered in Brebes, Central Java. Average occurred in farms. About the origin of the virus and prophylactic vaccines, says Chandra, was a territory of the Directorate General of Livestock and Animal Health of the Ministry of Agriculture. "Because this occurs in birds, I guess more appropriately asked my friends in the Ministry of Agriculture. because they know the mobility of birds and so on , "said Chandra.