Woman becomes Indonesia’s 55th victim
October 17th, 2006
Just hours after confirming the country’s 54th bird flu death, Indonesian officials have reported the case of a 27 year old woman who has also succumbed to the deadly virus. Tests carried out by two independent laboratories have confirmed the third case of its kind in only three days, bringing Indonesia’s death toll to a staggering number of 55 human victims, the highest in the world. The woman in question lived in the Central Java province and is reported to have died on Friday, after being suspected of an infection with the bird flu virus earlier this month. The source of the infection is still unclear. Other two victims were reported last weekend, with a young boy and a 67 year old woman both contracting the disease after coming into contact with sickened poultry.