Three Indonesians die of bird flu
Editors note: This story confirms the two people earlier suspected of dieing from bird flu in Indonesia, see story here, died from the virus.
Three people in Indonesia have died from bird flu, taking the country’s death toll to 69, health officials say.
The virus claimed the lives of a boy aged 15, a 22-year-old woman and a 40-year-old man in separate parts of the country, the health ministry said.
Indonesia’s health ministry said tests had confirmed the three deaths.
The 22-year-old woman died on Saturday in southern Sumatra, followed by the teenage boy in West Java on Sunday and the 40-year-old man in East Java on Wednesday.
One health ministry official told Reuters news agency the man from East Java had been a bird lover.
“On March 11, his and neighbours’ chickens died suddenly. The test showed that they were infected by avian flu,” Muhammad Nadirin said.
Bird flu story source: BBC News