Indonesian village, 10 dead from chemical poisoning Jul 26 to Sept 8, 2007

[Gert van der Hoek]

Unknown illness hits Indonesian village, 8 dead

26 Jul 2007

JAKARTA, July 26 (Reuters) - Indonesian doctors are investigating the outbreak of an unknown illness that has killed eight people and infected 22 in a Java village, a health ministry official said on Thursday.

"This is not SARS or bird flu, but it is certainly as worrying," Marwan Nusri of the Disease Control and Environmental Health Department told Reuters.

"At first we suspected poisoning, but after checking their food and water we didn't find any toxic substance."

Nusri said around 30 people in the remote Kanigoro village, in Central Java province, had been hospitalised in the past three days with similar symptoms such as severe nausea and seizures.

The first batch of eight people died because of delayed treatment, he said.

Nusri added the health ministry was looking at the possibility of a virus or bacteria that targets a specific internal organ, but declined to give details.

Another health ministry official said the illness had spread fast through the village, but does not appear to have any obvious infection pattern.

"Initial findings indicate the virus or bacteria causes liver dysfunction," said the official, who refused to be named.

So far, the hospital has released nine people, and of the 13 people still undergoing treatment, two are in critical condition, he said.

Both officials said tissue samples from the victims would be sent to Jakarta this week for further examination.

Local officials initially linked the outbreak with bird flu, a disease endemic in bird populations in most parts of Indonesia, media reports said.

Indonesia has had 81 confirmed human deaths from bird flu, the most of any country in the world.

Several local media said the victims were targets of "dark magic". Indonesia is predominantly Muslim, but mysticism is an integral part of local culture.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/JAK240031.htm

 

[vinny]

Re: Unknown illness hits Indonesian village, 8 dead

Re: Unknown illness hits Indonesian village, 8 dead

can they be 100% sure this isnt BF,i would like dr nimans thoughts on this.

 

[HenryN]

Re: Unknown illness hits Indonesian village, 8 dead

Re: Unknown illness hits Indonesian village, 8 dead

can they be 100% sure this isnt BF,i would like dr nimans thoughts on this.

At least teh local media has bird flu higher than "dark magic".

H5N1 can cause liver disease, which was found in the Gharbiya cluster. It is not clear why it is being ruled out, other than the fact that is disease seems to have infected a large number of people very quickly.

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Unknown illness hits Indonesian village, 8 dead

Re: Unknown illness hits Indonesian village, 8 dead

Mysterious illness kills 10 Indonesian villagers

Ten Indonesians from a remote village on the densely-populated island of Java have died from a mysterious illness in the past week, health officials and workers said Friday.

Some 21 others have suffered severe symptoms including nausea, stomach pains, dizziness and diarrhoea, they said.

Two women aged 40 and 65 were the latest victims and died on Friday, said Yuliani, from a hospital treating the patients who are from Central Java's Kanigoro village in Ngablak district.

"We still don't know what kind of illness they suffered," she told AFP.

A team of experts from Indonesia's health ministry and Yogyakarta's Gadjah Mada university were at the hospital investigating the case, she said.

Two patients remained in a critical condition while 19 were improving, with nine of them being treated at a small community clinic close to their village, she said.

Marwan Nusri from the health ministry's disease control department said that autopsies carried out on the first eight victims showed they had suffered liver dysfunction, but what caused it was unclear.

"We are still investigating the cause... The preliminary results show that it might be a virus, fungal toxins or heavy metal pollutants which have contaminated water," he said.

Nusri said that the victims did not suffer any respiratory difficulties, meaning that neither bird flu -- which has killed some 81 people in Indonesia -- nor Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, was to blame.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) emerged in China in 2002 and went on to infect more than 8,000 people worldwide and killed more than 800. Indonesia was not affected.

http://www.france24.com/france24Pub...p-news.html?id=070727164838.ww35n7ri&cat=null

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Unknown illness hits Indonesian village, 10 dead

Re: Unknown illness hits Indonesian village, 10 dead

Health officials probe 10 mystery deaths in Indonesia's Java island

JAKARTA (AP): Indonesia is investigating the deaths of 10 people from liver failure in the past week in a village on densely populated Java island, a senior health official said Friday.

Twenty-one other people have been hospitalized with liver problems, said Nyoman Kandun from the Health Ministry.

Samples from the patients, as well as the 10 fatalities, have been sent to laboratories in Jakarta, but the cause of the liver failure remained a mystery, he said.

The illness is characterized by nausea, stomach pain and muscle spasms, he said.

Kandun said health officials have so far ruled out exposure to pesticides, heavy metals and poison, but are still looking into the possibility of a viral infection.

"We are systematically trying to find the cause, testing all known possibilities," Kandun said.

Most of the dead are over 40. They came from a village on the outskirts of Magelang city in central Java province. (***)

http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailgeneral.asp?fileid=20070727180439&irec=24

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Unknown illness hits Indonesian village, 10 dead

Re: Unknown illness hits Indonesian village, 10 dead

On Monday, 30/07/2007

Health Service still waiting for Results of the autopsy 2 bodies of victims the Misterius Plague

Semarang - the Kesehatan Service (Dinkes) Central Java (Central Java) still was waiting for results autopsy against villagers's two bodies Kanigoro, Kecamatan Ngablak, of Kabupaten Magelang.

Two bodies were plague casualties misterisu that killed 10 people.

"We did not yet accept results" of "his autopsy, and still was from Regional Police and RS Kariadi Semarang waiting," said the Head of Dinkes Central Java, Hartanto, in his office, Semarang, Central Java, on Monday (30/7/2007).

Till yesterday, Dinkes was still continuing to make an effort to know the cause of the illness that attacked these villagers.

Moreover, Dinkes and the team of epidemiology of the expert from the Department of the Health (the Department of Health) RI this Monday again descended to the field to carry out repeated investigation.

"We still could not know the cause" of "destruction" of the "function" of the "heart to all the victim, both that died and that still was undergoing the maintenance in the hospital," explained he.

Apart from results of the autopsy, his side also still was waiting for results of the research 300 samples of blood, urine, and the side liquid of the resident who was sent to the Laboratory of Kesehatan Department of Health RI.

Several experts from RS Kariadi Semarang currently it was reported compile the summary produced by their investigation towards the condition for this deadly illness.

"If air has been researched by the control Body" of the "impact" of the "environment, and results were sent to me was he said negative also," explained Hartanto.

Separately, the Head of the Field of Humas Regional Police Central Java, AKBP Syaroni, stated his side was still needing time in a few days to complete the report produced by the autopsy 2 Kanigoro villagers before being announced officially to the community.

This report eventually at once will be handed over to Dinkes Central Java.

"How many days again, I still could not confirm, that was certain the autopsy indeed needed time to compile results" of the "accurate report," he added.

http://www.okezone.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=36592&itemid=2

 

[Niko]

Re: Unknown illness hits Indonesian village, 10 dead

Re: Unknown illness hits Indonesian village, 10 dead

08/01/07 09:09
Indonesia says food poisoning behind mystery illness


<!-- google_ad_section_start -->Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Initial investigations into a mystery illness that killed ten people in an Indonesian village have suggested that food poisoning was the cause rather than a contagious disease, the health minister said on Tuesday.

Victims of the illness in the Central Java village had eaten a locally made fermented soybean dish commonly sold door-to-door, Minister Siti Fadillah Supari was quoted by Reuters as telling a news conference.

Supari said victims showed signs of acute liver dysfunction, which had led to multiple organ failure in some cases.

"This is clearly a single-source incident. It is not an outbreak," she said.

Officials previously said the illness had spread fast through the village but did not appear to have any obvious infection pattern. Thirteen people are still undergoing treatment in hospitals in the provincial capital, Semarang.

I Nyoman Kandun, head of the health ministry's disease control unit, told the news conference that samples had tested positive for a type of bacteria.

"All samples tested positively for pseudomonas cocovenenans, drawing strong suspicions the illness was caused by the dish," the official said.

Research in the 1930s showed the same bacteria was found in coconut-based products that had repeatedly caused fatal food poisonings in Java before the products were banned by the Dutch colonial government at the time.

Supari said further tests needed to be done, particularly to look at possible poisoning by pesticide, arsenic, cyanide and other heavy metal substances also found in tissue samples sent to a Jakarta laboratory.

"But this is unlikely caused by industrial waste, since there are no plants in the area," the minister added.

Media reports on the illness said some locals believed they were targets of "black magic". Indonesia is predominantly Muslim, but mysticism is an integral part of local culture. (*)<!-- google_ad_section_end -->

<!-- google_ad_section_start (weight=ignore) -->Copyright ? 2007 ANTARA


http://www.antara.co.id/en/arc/2007/8/1/indonesia-says-food-poisoning-behind-mystery-illness/

 

[Anne]

Re: Unknown illness hits Indonesian village, 10 dead

Re: Unknown illness hits Indonesian village, 10 dead

toxoflavines
acide bongkrekique

in local food : tempeh bongrek

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Unknown illness hits Indonesian village, 10 dead

Re: Unknown illness hits Indonesian village, 10 dead

A member of the commision which reported on the illness, criticises the Minister of Health...

On Wednesday, 01/08/200

The governement is not Transparant the matter of the Misterius Plague

Semarang - the Government it was thought covered results of the related laboratory research up the cause of the mysterious illness that struck Kaligoro, Ngablak, of Magelang.

The announcement that was sent apparently only was speculative, so as to be able to trigger the community's unrest.

The member the Commission of E DPRD Central Java, Aisyah Dahlan considered, the announcement that was sent by Menkes Fadhilah Supari that the death 10 Magelang residents were caused because mengonsumsi tempe gembus very awkward.

Because, had several casualties that still in the age of pre-schoolers, so as the possibility consumed tempe gembus quite small.

? Apalagi if being connected with the news that results of the autopsy on 2 casualties, experienced heart damage and the intestines.

So like him was strange if his cause of only problems of tempe gembus ,? he accused, on Wednesday (1/8/2007).

Moreover, Aisyah judged the slow Government menanganai the Magelang case.

That also resulted in the community being increasingly restless because of the nonexistence of the clarity concerning the cause from the illness that was experienced by them.

? Masyarakat was waiting for results too long, 5 days but did not yet have the clarity so as to cause the unrest.

The government must immediately explain the cause of the actual mysterious illness ,? he accused.

http://www.okezone.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=36997&Itemid=67

credits BGW in MT

 

[Snicklefritz]

Re: Unknown illness hits Indonesian village, 10 dead

Re: Unknown illness hits Indonesian village, 10 dead

Identifying the cause of death as pseudomonas cocovenenans is problematic for a number of reasons.

1) - If this source was a locally made drink, and this occurs naturally, wouldn't we expect to see more cases, even if sporadic?

2) - As originally reported we have a disease with a well defined set of symptoms (jaundice perhaps?), that we have known about since the 1930' - So, why is it such a mystery?

3) - Since bongkrekic acid is commercially available, is it possible this is not really a naturally occuring event?

4) - If this pathogen occurs naturally, it apparetnly doesn't occur often, or perhaps with milder cases that go unreported. Has no one developed immunity to the pathogen that produces the toxin?

5) - Now, perhaps there are previously unreported symptoms.

In my opinion, all of these questions preclude our prematurely closing our accounts with reality.

 

[Niko]

Re: Unknown illness hits Indonesian village, 10 dead

Re: Unknown illness hits Indonesian village, 10 dead

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial]I'm unsure if this article supersedes the previously posted one from Antara. It appears with a date of Aug 2nd but Google has the date at July 31st.- Niko[/FONT]

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial]Food poisoning likely behind mysterious C. Java deaths[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Desy Nurhayati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Preliminary tests by the Health Ministry point to food poisoning in the mysterious deaths of 10 people in Magelang regency, Central Java, an official said Tuesday.

[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica] "Before becoming ill, the victims ate tempe gembus (fermented soybean pulp) that was contaminated with the toxin-producing Pseudomonas cocovenenans bacteria," Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari said. [/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica]"Even though we have yet to come to a final conclusion, that (food poisoning) is the most likely cause so far. We're also focusing our examination on contamination by arsenic, cyanide and heavy metals."

[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica] The ministry's director general of disease control and environmental health, Nyoman Kandun, said his office would announce its final conclusions within the next two weeks. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica] "Tests for bacteria will take two to four days, and tests for metallic substances between 10 days to two weeks," he said.

[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica] There have in the past been reported deaths in Central Java caused by the consumption of food contaminated with the Pseudomonas cocovenenans bacteria.

[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica] Most of these incidents were the result of people eating tempe bongkrek (soybean cake made with coconut pulp). The bacteria produces a lethal toxic substance that damages human cells.

[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica] On July 23 and 24, 10 residents of Beran hamlet in Kanigoro village, Ngablak district in Magelang died after complaining of similar symptoms -- stomach pain, nausea and headaches.

[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica] "The deaths were attributed to acute multi-organ failure, which is the most severe stage of cell damage," Kandun said.

[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica] Twenty others with similar symptoms are being treated at Tidar Hospital, Muntilan Hospital and Grabag community health center in Magelang, and at Kariadi Hospital in Semarang.

[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica] Kandun said the deaths were not caused by acute fulminant hepatitis (liver failure) as originally suspected.

[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica] A joint health team from the police, the Central Java Health Agency and the provincial police's forensic laboratory, including microbiology and toxicology experts, has been deployed to the area to take environmental and biological samples.

[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica] "Our team has found Pseudomonas cocovenenans in food samples and in the victims' vomit, but we still have to cross-check the results with other laboratories," Kandun said. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica] The team also took air and water samples in Beran hamlet, as well as examining the local sanitation system, and found no contamination by toxic substances.[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20070801.A06&irec=5
[/FONT]

 

[Theresa42]

Re: Unknown illness hits Indonesian village, 10 dead

Re: Unknown illness hits Indonesian village, 10 dead

BIG hat-tip to bgw in MT!

Sabtu, 08 Sept 2007

Agricultural Chemistry Material
Mysterious Causes Of Death of 10 residents of Magelang

SEMARANG - Provinsi Jateng's government finally announced causes of death of ten resident/s of Kanigoro, Ngablak, Magelang. Based on research work laboratory, resident/s mysterious deaths were stated because of water pollution by chemicals. Namely, united Butyl Phenyl ethyl Carbamat (BMPC) common use for agriculture.

Case that disclosed when Sekdaprov Jateng Mardjijono read aloud the explanation of Vice-governor of Central Java, Ali Mufiz, in a meeting, complete with agenda, a reading out loud and the explanation of the Governor of Central Java opinion's of committee estimate. The affairs worded Sekdaprov Jateng Mardjijono second read explanation deep Wakil Gubernur Jateng Ali Mufiz close complete with agenda explanation recitation over Gubernur Jateng committee opinion estimate (PA) and faction of political party DPRD Central Java in Gedung Berlian, yesterday (7/9).

The Statement that previously the government, as a starting point, backed with information by means of Department of Health . When/time/ hour/moment that the government say something the cause of it is a kind of tempe gembus that eaten victims. Conclusion government aforemention argued because of victim's family although resident who faring well saved. They promise did not ever eat tempe gembus on the unfortunate day.

Mardjijono explains, Pemprov Jateng finished doing coordination with dinas related/hooked/connected/competent/conerned, good at level province, Kabupaten Magelang, though central government, to discover causes of disease befell resident/s Kanigoro. From the result of coordination and study research, it can be concluded that unusual case (KLB) had happened there which did not become contagious disease direct between humans.

"KLB that purport poisoning, which was caysed by pollution of water that happen happened because of supplies of chemicals Butyl Phenyl ethyl Carbamat (BMPC), used for agriculture," Mardjijono's speech.

"More advanced am being explained, pemprov already coordinated with local government of Magelang to respond to resident/s fish counseling for entrepreneur food processor . Also doing socialization to the local community of behaviour living clean and healthy and counseling of handling pesticides.. Program of improvement of sanitation, too, has already been undertaken", he asserted.

The separate manner member of the commision E DPRD Jateng Aisyah Dahlan evaluated the government not adequate, just to carry out preventive step in question aforementioned. According to him, cases that should be followed up with upholding the law.

If/when cerainly true cases have died, ten residents of Kanigoro aforementioned, caused by chemical pollution, the cause of it agricultural supplies must be investigated/examined/prosecuted exhaustively. Because dereliction or deliberateness that has alredy caused many victim's death. That means handling of the cases of those should not only be just for the sake of prevention in order that it not happen again But must be investigated/examined/prosecuted and whom caused that incident aforementioned, he emphasized.

http://www.jawapos.co.id/index.php?act=detail_radar&id=171974&c=1

 

[Theresa42]

Re: Unknown illness hits Indonesian village, 10 dead

Re: Unknown illness hits Indonesian village, 10 dead

So, the authorities are saying that these people experienced poisoning from "Butyl Phenyl ethyl Carbamat (BMPC)" -- or butylphenyl ethyl carbamate (I guess).

I found this -- Fenobucarb -- aka BPMC (slightly different letter order) -- which is used as a pesticide. Don't know if it's the same thing or not, but the poisoning symptoms are:

Symptoms of Poisoning with moderate toxicity Carbamate Compounds

Moderate Toxicity Carbamate Pesticides:
- Malaise, muscle weakness, dizziness, and sweating.
- Headache, salivation, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.
- Central nervous system depression and pulmonary edema.

http://www.pesticideinfo.org/Detail_Chemical.jsp?Rec_Id=PC36390

 

[Commonground]

Re: Unknown illness hits Indonesian village, 10 dead

Re: Unknown illness hits Indonesian village, 10 dead

That would explain the "limp body".