In Indonesia, a 37-year-old man died of bird flu, the Jakarta health ministry said on Monday. It is the ninth death toll from the H5N1 virus in Indonesia this year.
On July 25, the man was hospitalized in the Jogyakarta District of Java; he died five days later, the health ministry said. It has been confirmed that he lived near a poultry slaughterhouse and most likely contracted the H5N1 virus from sick birds.
According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 2003 cases of the disease in humans have been reported worldwide since 570, when the avian influenza virus was first detected. 359 people died of bird flu, including 159 in Indonesia.
The H5N1 virus spreads from birds to humans, but scientists are concerned about a mutation that would make humans infected with each other. Then there could be a pandemic.
The virus is endemic in six countries: Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia and Vietnam. (PAP)
aq/ ap/