A 3-year-old girl has died of bird flu, according to a laboratory test by the World Health organization, bringing total casualties from the virus to 41 in the country, a report said Friday.

The girl, a resident of the Jakarta suburb of Tangerang, had been in contact with infected chickens before she died on July 6, said The Jakarta Post online news service.

Tangerang, just south of Jakarta, was declared Thursday as the "pilot project" for the national campaign against bird flu, to which the government has secured a fund of 44.6 billion rupiah (4. 9 million U.S. dollars).

A bird flu laboratory will be built in Tangerang in addition to the old.

"Indonesia must get prepared because 41 out of 54 people infected by the avian influenza have died," said Nyoman Kandun, director of disease prevention and environmental issues with the Ministry of Health.

Source: Xinhua