Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Wednesday summoned governors from five provinces worst hit by bird flu, asking them to beef up efforts to decrease the development of the virus in their territories, a minister said.

"The president instructed the governors from the provinces of Lampung, Jakarta, Banten, West Java and Central Java, to establish a task force team in their areas to fight bird flu," Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare and Poverty Alleviation Aburizal Bakrie told a press conference after the meeting.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Indonesian Health Minister Siti Sufari Padilah said Indonesia is number two in terms of cases of infections by the H5N1 virus, after Vietnam.

According to the World Health Organization, 18 out of 26 infected people have died in Indonesia.

Indonesia has made fighting bird flu one of the government's top priorities.

Indonesian Agriculture Minister Anton Apriantono said the virus has developed in the whole island of Java and Sumatra, where the five provinces are located.

He said that Lampung province was the most severe hit, followed by Banten province.

In Asia, more than 80 people have been killed by the virus.

Source: Xinhua