Possible bird flu case in Bali

One of the many health dangers for people living in Indonesia is avian flu (bird flu). This is prevalent in Indonesia due to the high population density and tendency of people to live in close proximity to chickens. Over the weekend a Balinese woman died from what investigators think might be bird flu. Here’s more from the Jakarta Post.

Woman dies of bird flu on Bali island, preliminary testing shows

JAKARTA(AP): Preliminary testing shows that an Indonesian woman died of bird flu over the weekend on Bali resort island, an official said Monday.

If confirmed, it would be the first time the H5N1 bird flu virus had killed in the popular holiday island destination, although the disease has long been endemic in poultry flocks there.

It would bring the number of Indonesian fatalities to 82, out of 103 recorded human cases.

Officials were also trying to determine if the woman’s 5-year-old daughter, who was cremated after dying on Aug. 3, may also have had the virus.

“Results of testing by the ministry’s laboratory came back positive for the 29-year-old woman,” said Nyoman Kandun, a senior Health Ministry official. The infection has not yet been confirmed by a second round of testing, usually used to confirm bird flu.

Recently in the UK there was an outbreak of foot and mouth disease, affecting cattle. One wonders if a supposedly modern country like the UK has trouble dealing with animal diseases, what hope does Indonesia. In my opinion living in Bali exposes you to continual possibility of contracting something unpleasant. Friends of mine have had tropical ulcers, which start from a pin-sized cut and develop into a hole half a centimeter deep and 5cm in diameter. Others have skin irritations caused by pollen, one guy had the melanin in his skin fade away due to a fungus.

What goes for a serious disease overseas is more like bump in the road over here. Ika had a version of Typhoid a while back and my Australian neighbour had Dengue Fever (both okay now). Just the other day I ran into an American guy I used to see everyday at the internet cafe in Kuta, when I first moved to Bali. He left in a hurry in 2004 due to some serious internal disorder. A day of tests at BIMC cost him over $400 and he ended up flying to Japan (ruptured spleen, motorbike accident). Once again some travel health insurance would really take all the worry out of your Bali holiday.