Bird Flu is also Transmitted through Infected Environments and Poultry Products

Health Minister, Siti Fadilah Supari, in a meeting with Commission IX of the Indonesian Parliament (29/1) in Jakarta explained that bird flu viruses could transmit from human to human if it has mutated. This could be proven through epidemiological, clinical and virological signals. Epidemiological signals are characterized by death due to pneumonia with unknown causes, in relations with time, place, a continuous transmission chain or cluster of bird flu positive patients with two or more generations of transmission without any blood relation, or even transmission to health workers tending the patients.

Since the first case in July 2005, Indonesia now has 124 bird flu human cases with 100 fatalities (80.6%). Provinces with the highest cases are DKI Jakarta, West Java and Banten. In response to this, the Director General of Disease Control and Environmental Health of the Ministry of Health, Nyoman Kandun said that they will continue their efforts in overcoming bird flu in humans. But, he said, this problem is closely related to bird flu mitigation in poultry. “The causes are multifactor, it is also related to the habits of human and the environment,” he said. It is reported that until now there is no human to human transmission. The source of transmission is still poultry.
Interestingly, lately there were cases of bird flu positive in humans, but there was no poultry anywhere around there house. The patient was suspected to have contact with the virus during travel or when he/she was in a bird flu infected environment, such as traditional markets or in contact with poultry products or materials.
In the fourth week of January, there are 4 new bird flu positive patients, which are Nas (Tangerang-Banten), Miy (Depok-West Java), Res and Vir (East Jakarta). This report was based on PCR tests done by the Health Research and Development Laboratory and the Eijkman Molecular Biology Institute. 
Source : Kompas