Friday, June 15, 2007
Indonesia man becomes 80th bird flu victim - official
JAKARTA (Reuters) - A Indonesian man who slaughtered sick chickens and then ate them has died of bird flu, health officials said on Thursday, taking the country’s human death toll to 80.
Suharda Ningrum, of the health ministry’s bird flu centre, said the man from Riau Province in Sumatra died on Tuesday.
He was admitted to the Arifin Achmad Hospital in Pekanbaru in Riau on Monday, hospital spokesman Nuzelly Husnedi said.
The spokesman said the man lived on a palm oil plantation in a remote area and had been in contact with sick fowl.
“He kept some chickens in his house. At least three died all of a sudden and he slaughtered the rest,” said Husnedi, adding that the family then ate them and the man fell sick the next day.
“He suffered from high fever and had difficulty breathing.”
Bayu Krisnamurthi, the head of the country’s commission on bird flu control, confirmed the latest death during a news conference.
Contact with sick fowl is the most common way humans become infected with bird flu.
The disease is endemic in bird populations in most parts of Indonesia, where millions of backyard fowl are kept in close proximity to humans and where education campaigns often do not reach more remote areas.
Azizman Saad, head of the hospital’s bird flu control section said that the remaining family members were being monitored.
“His family has been examined and we are waiting for the results. So far, none have developed bird flu symptoms.”
Bird flu story source: Reuters