Number of Indonesia's H1N1 Patients Increasing by Fardah

     Jakarta, July 11, 2009 - (ANTARA News) - While Indonesia is considered to have been `rather late` in reporting Influenza A (H1N1) cases, the number of H1N1 or swine flu patients in the country has steadily risen to 52.
     The number of influenza A (H1N1) or swine flu cases in Indonesia increased by 24 recently bringing the total number of sufferers in the country to 52, Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari said in Jakarta, on Thursday (July 9).
       Of the 24 new cases, three involve foreigners, and the rest Indonesian nationals, who mostly had made overseas trips recently, namely to Malaysia, Australia, the United States, Thailand, Singapore and China, she said.

       Only two patients were not known how they had contracted the virus. When swine flu cases were first reported in Mexico in April 2009, and it was followed by reports on similar cases in Indonesia`s neighboring countries such as Australia, Singapore and Malaysia, Indonesia was basically free from the disease until the first report from Bali early July 2009.
        Sanglah General Hospital in Denpasar, Bali, first received two Australian tourists, on July 3, for H1N1 indications. "Up to now, the Sanglah General Hospital`s Nusa Indah isolation room has treated eight patients, consisting of five suspects and three positive swine flu patients," Suartana said on July 5.
       The eight patients were all foreign tourists - six Australians, one Argentine, and a German. In June, there were reports on Indonesian nationals infected with swine flu but they happened to be abroad and treated overseas, namely in Singapore and Australia.
      On July 6, Indonesian diplomat in Japan reported that four Indonesian students participating in a home stay program under the Japanese and East Asian youth exchange program, were infected with swine flu and being treated in Japan`s hospital. In Indonesia, swine flu patients and suspects, both foreigners and locals, have lately been reported in several regions such as in Bali, Medan (North Sumatra), Manado (North Sulawesi), Balikpapan and Samarinda (East Kalimantan), Bandung (West Java), and Jakarta. Minister Supari explained that the new influenza disease which had become a global pandemic in general had mild symptoms and could disappear by itself.
       "I urge the people to remain alert by exercising healthy and clean life styles, using face masks when suffering from influenza, and following ethics when coughing or sneezing, and go to see doctors when they have a cold," Minister Supari said. Latest figures from the World Health Organization (WHO) released Monday (July 6) showed that swine flu was continuing to spread around the world since first being detected in Mexico.
        Some 94,512 people have been infected in more than 130 countries and territories, with at least 426 deaths (mostly in the US, Mexico, and Argentine), as the virus continues to make inroads in the southern hemisphere during the main flu season.
       However, countries such as the United States believe they have had far more untested cases because of its relatively mild symptoms. US officials have estimated that there have been a million cases in the country. In Samarinda, a Norwegian is suspected of suffering from Influenza A (H1N1) and is currently being treated at A Wahab Sjahranie Hospital in Samarinda, East Kalimantan, the hospital`s spokesperson, Dr Nurliana Adriatinoor on July 8.
       The foreign patient is a male aged 30 and had visited Franckfrut (Germany) and Jakarta, before visiting Balikpapan. In Balikpapan, a US national identified by his initial as RH (26) has been confirmed of suffering from H1N1. "Although he is infected with the H1N1 virus, RH`s condition has improved.
        We have even taken him off intravenous feeding since this noon," president director of Kanujoso Regional General Hospital M Syafak Hanung said in Balikpapan on July 9. Meanwhile, in Medan, North Sumatra, 11 were suspected to be suffering from swine flu recently.
       A spokesman for Adam Malik General Hospital, Atma Wijaya, said on July 3, these people recently visited Thailand and Kuala Lumpur to spend their school holidays. In Manado, it was reported on Friday (July 10), the condition of three people suspected of being infected with swine flu here on Friday is showing improvement, a public health official said.
      "Their condition is improving, but they are still isolated in order to prevent the virus from spreading to other people in their immediate surroundings," Maxi Rondonuwu, head of the North Sulawesi provincial health office, said here on Friday.
       In Bandung, two more new suspects were admitted to Hasan Sadikin Hospital on Thursday (July 9), bringing the number of H1N1 patients to eight there. Both patients just came back from abroad, respectively Istanbul (Turkey) and Washington DC (USA).
      Preventive Measure The Indonesian foreign affairs ministry has appealed to Indonesian nationals staying in swine flu-affected countries to wear masks to protect themselves against the virus. The ministry also called on Indonesian nationals staying in or wishing to travel to swine flu-prone countries to keep high alert on all forms of H1N1 transmission.
      The advisory was issued after on June 11 WHO raised its pandemic alert to phase 6 on a six-point scale because of the outbreak of the disease. The government has announced it will apply certain fixed procedures to prevent influenza A (H1N1) or swine flu during international events to take place in Indonesia this year.
        "In the coming few months, there will be two international events involving many foreign participants, namely `Sail Bunaken` in Manado, and an AIDS Conference in Bali. Special measures will be applied to the events to prevent the spread of this disease (swine flu)," Coordinating Minister for People`s Welfare Aburizal Bakrie said after chairing a ministerial coordination meeting on the Influenza A (H1N1) prevention at the minister`s office recently.
        All visitors from countries affected by swine flu will be required to pass thermal scanners installed in international airports, fill in health alert cards, and use face masks for at least three days since their arrival, he said.
       The transportation ministry would send notices to all plane and ship crew members to increase their alertness to swine flu. For Sail Bunaken 2009, Indonesia would cooperate with Australia to check ship crew members in Darwin to make sure that none of them is infected with the H1N1 virus.
        The government also said that it is preparing about three million tamiflu tablets in an effort to anticipate the spread of the H1N1 virus in Indonesia.
        "The government is preparing two steps in anticipation of the entry into Indonesia of the swine flu virus, namely providing tamiflu pills and installing monitoring devices at airports," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said recently.
        However, WHO reported in Geneva on July 8 that it has been informed by health authorities in Denmark, Japan and the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong, China of the appearance of H1N1 viruses which are resistant to the antiviral drug oseltamivir (known as Tamiflu) based on laboratory testing.
       These viruses were found in three patients who did not have severe disease and all have recovered. Investigations have not found the resistant virus in the close contacts of these three people. The viruses, while resistant to oseltamivir, remain sensitive to zanamivir, WHO said on its website.
       UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said recently that Developing countries could need about one billion dollars by the end of the year to fund measures against the swine flu pandemic, especially vaccines.
          Asked about his estimate of their needs ahead of a meeting with donor nations on funding for influenza A (H1N1), Ban said: "For the remainder of this year our estimate is that we may need a little over one billion dollars."
       WHO Director General Margaret Chan was due to take part in the meeting with representatives of main potential donor nations in Geneva. Chan said last week that access to a swine flu vaccine remained a "critical question." (*)