A Balinese woman has died of what was most probably bird flu in Kediri Tabanan. As the Jakarta Post reports, the woman was overcome by pneumonia and intense fever. Here in Bali people live pretty close to the soil. Go 20 meters off of the main road and its dirt yards, dogs, pigs, chickens, small kids and anything else that can walk or crawl. People just don’t understand hygiene, other than what looks clean or dirty. Bathrooms are often a 2m by 3m cement box with a container of water and a hole in the floor. No surprise that things get passed from one family member to another, or from animals to people. Fortunately avian flu rarely affects tourists, who do not have direct contact with live chickens. Personally I don’t feel in danger and I live here. More chance of getting whacked over the head by a drunk Aussie with a Bintang bottle.
Bird flu suspect dies in Bali
DENPASAR (JP): A 28-year-old woman suspected of being infected by bird flu died Tuesday less than a week after the lethal virus claimed its first victim on the resort island.
Ayu Srinadi, a chicken trader of Batugaing village in Kediri, Tabanan regency, around 20 kilometers west of capital city of Denpasar, died around 2 p.m. local time, after suffering high fever and acute pneumonia for not more than a week.
Sanglah Hospital’s head of bird flu control unit Putu Andrika said Ayu had the same symptoms like that of Sri Widiantari, a 29-year-old woman from Negara of the island’s most western part Jembrana regency, who died last week of bird flu.
“Ayu came here with pneumonia and high fever. Her condition was similar to Sri Widiantari’s and we highly suspected her of having avian influenza,” Putu said.
If confirmed, Ayu would be Bali’s second bird flu victim and would add the nation’s bird flu death toll to 84 out of 104 cases.
“We’re still waiting for test results from Jakarta,” said Putu. He said that they had sent samples from Ayu and another suspected patient, MK, 58 on Monday.
Though working around chicken, according to her husband Wayan Suamba, Ayu had never contacted with any dead chicken nor were there any reports of dead chickens in the area.
Ayu was rushed to the Sanglah Hospital after being treated for two days at the Tabanan Hospital. She entered Sanglah the same day with MK from Negara, who contracted fever and cold three days ago. Around MK’s neighborhood were incidences of dead chickens.
Putu said that MK’s condition was stable and recovering. (Prodita Sabarini)
