Indonesia records 80th bird flu fatality

The number of bird flu fatalities in Indonesia has risen to 80 with the death of a 29-year-old male in Riau province last June 12, a bird flu control official said.
“The number of confirmed bird flu patients has reached 100 and the number of those who died of the H5NI virus 80,” Indonesia’s Antara news agency quoted Bayu Krisnamurthi, executive chairman of the National Committee to Control Bird Flu and Preparedness in Facing the Influenza Pandemic, as saying here yesterday.

The man who died last Tuesday was a resident of Peranah sub district, Indragiri Hulu district, Riau province. He was positively infected with the H5NI virus according to tests conducted by the Health Ministry’s research and development unit and the Eijkman Institute, said Muhammad Nadhirin, an officer at the Health Ministry’s bird flu command post.

“The man began to show the symptoms on June 3, 2007 and was admitted to Arifin Ahmad Hospital on June 9 with a high fever, cough and breathing difficulties,” he said.

According to officers who conducted an investigation in the field, before falling ill, the man had contact with a sick chicken. He had slaughtered the chicken and later ate part of the chicken during a meal.

source:www.nst.com.my