Asia-Pacific

Indonesian woman dies of bird flu

(Reuters)
Updated: 2007-04-04 10:13

JAKARTA - A Jakarta housemaid who had looked after a pet eagle has died from bird flu, marking Indonesia's 72nd confirmed death from the virus, a health ministry official said on Wednesday.

Indonesia, the world's fourth-most-populous country, has had more deaths from the H5N1 strain of avian influenza than any other nation. An additional 20 people confirmed to have the virus have not died.

Muhammad Nadirin of the health ministry's bird flu centre told Reuters that two tests on the 23-year-old housemaid from south Jakarta, who died on April 1, confirmed she had bird flu.

"Her master keeps an eagle at home, she took care of the bird," Nadirin said.

He said authorities had yet to determine whether the eagle had the virus, although a number of fowl in the area had suddenly died.

Humans who contract bird flu have generally had contact with infected fowl.

The virus is endemic among fowl in many parts of Indonesia, where millions of people keep a few chickens or other domesticated birds in their yards.

Although avian flu still mainly affects birds, experts fear that if the H5N1 strain mutates into a form easily transmitted from person to person, it could sweep the world, killing millions.

Human deaths have been reported in countries from Asia to the Middle East and Africa, with the global toll approaching 200.