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| Sunday, 27 November 2005 |
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Indonesia confirms 12th bird flu victim JAKARTA, Saturday (AFP) A 16-year-old Indonesian boy has tested positive for bird flu, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 12, a health official said Saturday. "Tests taken from the 16-year-old boy, both locally and by the World Health Organisation, show that he is a bird flu patient," health ministry official Hariadi Wibisono told AFP. He said the boy was admitted to the state hospital in Bandung, the provincial capital of West Java, on November 15. "We have received news that his health condition is quite good and we hope that he can survive," he said. Seven fatalities from the H5N1 strain of avian influenza have been confirmed in Indonesia by the WHO, but more than one dozen suspected bird flu deaths have been reported. Health officials are currently waiting for WHO confirmation of local tests that showed that a 35-year-old man who died November 19 was the country's eighth fatality. Four other Indonesians have been confirmed as carrying the virus but have either recovered or are still receiving treatment. Bird flu has claimed more than 60 lives in Asia since 2003. Scientists warn that continued contact between infected birds and humans may eventually result in the virus mutating into a form that could be easily passed on by humans, sparking a pandemic that could kill millions. Indonesia, which has been criticised for acting slowly against bird flu, pledged Friday a year-long fight against bird flu, which will include house-to-house checks and culls. Agriculture minister Anton Apriyantono said that backyards as well as farms across Jakarta and its neighbouring towns of Bogor, Depok and Tangerang to the south and east would be scoured weekly for signs of the disease. Also on Friday, the health ministry said that Swiss giant Roche had approved local production of anti-viral drug Tamiflu, the drug deemed as the most effective treatment available in the event of a flu pandemic. |
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