"So, the one in Tangerang is H1N1 not bird flu. In fact, several cases that we had initially thought were bird flu, are proven to be not bird flu," she said at the University of Hasanudin, here on Friday.
She explained that the H1N1 virus was not from pigs although it was called swine flu.
"Don`t use the term `swine flu` because it`s wrong terminology. If we call it swine flu, it has the impression that it comes from pigs while actually it`s a variant of influenza," the minister said.
The H1N1 virus was a combination of viruses that affect humans, birds and pigs, she stated, adding the virus was not fatal.
"Actually it`s not fatal, but it happens that the patients` diseases were complicated," she said.
H1N1 was pendemic in the world during April 2009-August 2010. In Indonesia, the World Health Organization in 2009 recorded around 1,000 people infected, and 10 had died, representing a case fatality rate (CFR) of one percent.
Bird flu (H5N1), however, has a CFR rate of 70-80 percent.
(T.A043/Uu.F001/HAJM)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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