April 20, 2006

Indonesia confirms 24th human death from bird flu

Tests have confirmed an Indonesian man who died earlier this month had bird flu, bringing the country's death toll from the bird flu virus to 24, senior health ministry official Hariadi Wibisono said Wednesday (Apr 19).

Indonesia has the second highest number of human bird flu cases in the world after Vietnam and the pace of infections is accelerating. International health experts are now prompting Indonesia to do more to control the virus.

The 24-year-old man died in an infectious diseases hospital in the capital, Jakarta, on Apr 8, Wibisono said.

Indonesia's agriculture minister has said the country is winning its fight against bird flu despite the emergence of new cases, and expected to be free of the killer virus by 2008.

The government is vaccinating birds and carrying out limited culls in areas where humans have died from bird flu. However, the government claims it lacks the money for mass slaughtering in infected areas.