Bird flu victim in critical state
August 8th, 2006
The 16 year old Indonesian teenager who recently tested positive for bird flu is said to be in a deteriorating condition. Although results of additional tests were expected to confirm the diagnostic, health officials are quite certain avian influenza has caused the boy’s condition to deteriorate so rapidly. He is now receiving treatment at Sulianto Saroso Hospital, but needs a respirator to carry out simple breathing functions. Indonesia has been heavily affected by the H5N1 strain of the virus, recording 42 human deaths in the last year. In May, seven members of the same family all succumbed to the disease, raising fears that a dangerous transmission from person to person had taken place.