Indonesia’s death toll rises again
August 9th, 2006
Only hours after Indonesia’s bird flu death toll became the worst worldwide, the number rose yet again. A teenage girl who died on Tuesday tested positive for the avian influenza virus, declared a health ministry official. The girl, aged 17, lived in North Jakarta, but it is not yet clear how the girl contracted the disease. Just hours before this announcement, a 16 year old boy also living in the outskirts of the capital city Jakarta, was confirmed as the country’s 43rd bird flu victim. Results from the World Health Organization are now expected to confirm the results, as local tests are not considered definitive. Indonesia has been heavily criticised for not applying severe enough measures to stop the bird flu outbreaks that have been ravishing the country since late 2003. The disease is still essentially an animal one, but it is feared mutations of the virus could spark a world epidemic among humans.