November 7, 2005

Two more bird flu cases confirmed in Indonesia

The number of Indonesians killed by bird flu increased to five on Saturday after two more cases were recorded near Jakarta, authorities said.

The latest fatality, a 19-year-old woman from the town of Tangerang on the outskirts of the capital, was believed to have contracted the virus from infected dead chickens in her neighbourhood, said Hariadi Wibisono, a Ministry of Health official. Another patient, an 8-year-old girl related to the dead woman, was hospitalized.

Wibisono said that a Hong Kong laboratory had confirmed that both victims suffered from bird flu.

The two latest cases bring to nine the number of people who have contracted the disease in Indonesia.