Seven Indonesians, including three children all from the same village in Sumatra are being treated for bird flu symptoms in what doctors fear could be two new clusters of the virus.
The three children, two siblings aged 10, and six and their 18-month-old neighbour were admitted to the Adam Malik hospital in Medan on Tuesday after showing signs of the disease.
Medical officials have said that their condition is stable, and they are suffering from the usual fever, flu and cough associated with bird flu.
"Their lungs have not shown signs of pneumonia but we have to keep monitoring them because in one or two days things could change," Luhur Suroso, the hospital director said.
Seven members of the one extended family who lived in the same North Sumatran district as those involved in the new outbreak, died from bird flu in May.
This was the largest recorded cluster of the virus so far known.
At the time, the World Health Organisation said that two members of the cluster - an Indonesian man who cared for his ailing son, might have caught the virus in a case of direct human-to-human transmission, but that the virus did not spread very far if this did happen.
There have been 42 deaths from the H5N1 strain of bird flu in Indonesia since July 2005. The country has been criticised for not doing enough to prevent H5N1, with the government so far hesitating to launch into a mass cull of poultry.
Bayu Krisnamurthi, an official at the anti-bird flu task force said of this latest case: "If it is feasible as far as the procedure is concerned, we will start culling poultry in the area today."
With the recent outbreak, the World Health Organisation concluded that while limited human-to-human transmission probably had occurred - the scenario it is feared will lead to a human pandemic - the virus did not spread beyond blood family members.
Nyoman Kandun, an Indonesian Health Ministry official told Associated Press news agency: "In fact there are two clusters, one with two sisters, the other with three family members, and another two of their neighbours."
Bird flu clusters, or groupings of infections, are watched closely because they can help determine if the illness is changing or becoming more easily transferable between people.
Siti Fadilah Supari, the Health minister, Anton Apriyantono, the Agriculture minister and Aburizal Bakrie, the Welfare minister travelled to Karo today to assess the situation. Siti Fadila Supari said after meeting with hospital officials, that "their condition for the time being is good."
To date, 134 people have died from bird flu worldwide. The disease, which first began spreading in Asia in late 2003, is contracted mostly through contact with infected poultry.
The Indonesian Health Ministry has stated that at least seven people, including three children from Northern Sumatra Province in the district of Karo, are being hospitalized with suspected H5N1 Bird Flu  and officials believe that the infected are part of "two clusters" of family members who are sick. The individuals are being treated at Adam Malik Hospital located in Medan. All individuals were admitted on Tuesday. 

The ''Associated Press'' quoted Nyoman Kandun, a Health Ministry official, as saying, "there are two clusters, one with two sisters, the other with three family members, and another two of their neighbours." The three children range in age from 18 months to six-years-old. 

However; experts are waiting on results from tests on the individuals and must be "scientifically proven," said Runizar Ruesin, also a Health Ministry official.

The condition of all victims are stable, however; all victims have a fever, a cough, and flu-like symptoms which officials say resemble the symptoms of Bird Flu.

"Their lungs have not shown signs of pneumonia but we have to keep monitoring them because in one or two days things could change," said hospital director, Luhur Suroso.

According to anti-bird flu task force member, Bayu Krisnamurthi, if the situation is or becomes "feasible as far as the procedure is concerned" then poultry local to the area will be "culled" beginning "today."

In May, seven members of the same family from the same district died when becoming infected with Bird Flu, possibly through human-to-human transmission. So far, officials have not stated if this is the case or not in the new clusters.