February 22, 2006

Rainy season in Indonesia accelerates bird flu
 

The Indonesian government said Tuesday bird flu is present in 26 out of 31 provinces across the country and the upcoming rainy season will accelerate the outbreak.

Syamsul Bahri, director of veterinary with the Ministry of Agriculture, said in Central Java that bird flu is spreading extensively, with a total of 161 regencies and towns reporting the outbreak.

New cases of bird flu which was reported once every 3 months, is now rearing up once every three days, said Bahri, adding that the rate of spreading is both very quick and very dangerous.

Indonesia have the highest human mortality rate in bird flu cases, given that 19 of 27 bird flu patients died there.