The World Health Organization reported Wednesday that 54 people with possible exposure to a deadly bird flu cluster in North Sumatra, Indonesia, have entered voluntary quarantine. No new infections have been confirmed since 22 May in the affected village, where seven members of a single extended family died earlier in the month.
The WHO noted that the virus had not spread to other villagers, health workers, or the broader community despite numerous potential exposure opportunities. Indonesian authorities plan to monitor the area for three weeks, one week longer than WHO guidelines require.
Those in quarantine are receiving the antiviral drug Tamiflu and undergoing daily symptom checks. The WHO said the initial victim, a 37-year-old woman, likely contracted the H5N1 virus from infected poultry, while the remaining family members caught it through close contact with her or one another.
Officials said there is no justification for raising the current pandemic alert level, as the virus shows no signs of efficient person-to-person transmission. More than 120 people have died of bird flu globally since late 2003, mostly in Asia, and Indonesia has recorded more deaths than any other country so far this year.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in May 2006, in its own words.