Indonesian boy dies of bird flu, woman sickened from virus
Pastor Dale Morgan
Indonesian boy dies of bird flu, woman sickened from virus*
14.11.2006
A young Indonesian boy died from bird flu on Monday, bringing the
country's death toll to 56, while a woman infected with the virus was
being treated in hospital, the health ministry said.
The two patients lived in different towns on the outskirts of the
capital Jakarta and had not been in contact with each other, according
to the Health Ministry's bird flu information center.
Indonesia has logged more deaths from bird flu than any other country.
The sprawling island nation has been accused of doing too little to
fight the disease since it first appeared in poultry stocks and backyard
chickens three years ago.
The 2 1/2-year-old boy who died Monday was admitted to Jakarta's
infectious diseases hospital a day earlier, said an official with the
Health Ministry who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing ministry rules.
She said initial reports suggested the boy and the 35-year-old woman
caught the H5N1 virus from infected birds, reports AP.
Most of those killed around the world by bird flu have been infected by
domestic fowl, but WHO fears the virus could mutate into a form that
easily spreads among humans, sparking a pandemic with the potential to
kill millions.
Indonesia is trying to step up its fight against bird flu, focusing on
beating the virus in poultry stocks, either by slaughtering birds or
vaccination, but is facing resistance from farmers and residents