WHO confirms another death of bird flu in Indonesia

The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that an Indonesian girl who died last month was contracted with avian influenza, bringing the country's total death toll to 39 out of 52 contracted ones, a health ministry official said here on Thursday.

Director at the ministry Nyoman Kandun said that the confirmation was given after the sending of the second samples of the seven-year-old girl from Pamulang in outskirt of Jakarta.

"An earlier test of the WHO laboratory showed negative, but then we sent another specimen and that was positive," Kandun told Xinhua.

He said that the first specimen was the girl's nasal swab and fluid from her throat and the second was from her lung membrane.

Kandun also said that two days before the girl died, her 10- year-old brother had also died after showing flu-like symptoms.

A number of chickens around their house died before they got sick, according to local report.

Experts fear that the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus could mutate in a certain form that can transmit from human to human that can kill million of people.

Source: Xinhua