Seventeen People Suffered from Bird Flu Symptoms

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Ten people in Makassar South Sulawesi were admitted to hospital on Thursday after suffering bird flu symptoms, a day after seven people were hospitalised for the same symptoms.All the 17 patients are being treated at Wahidin Sudirohusodo Regional General Hospital came from the same area of Jl Pate' ne in Sudiang District Biringkaya Subregency, where several chickens were found dead. Husbandry Directorate at the Regional Office of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries announced that the virus was found on the chickens.Head of the Emergency Room at the hospital, Dr Wasis Udaya said blood samples had been taken from the patients and the patients had been x-rayed to determined the cause of their illness, fourteen among the patients are children the with youngest was three months old. Other medical staff at the hospital reported only 14 among the 17 patients so far were treated in an isolation room as the room capacity could not contain all the patients.The hospital had sent the blood samples to Hasanuddin University and the Health Ministry. Results were expected to come out in two days.Indonesia recorded the highest death toll from the virus which stood at 113 people since the outbreak reached the country in 2004.Irmawati