Bird Flu Suspected in Bali Boy’s Death
Bali’s first bird flu death of 2012 is suspected by officials after a child from Badung died of flu-like symptoms last week.
According to officials a 12-year-old boy was hospitalised on February 16, five days after developing a fever.
“He suffered shortness of breath and eventually died on February 21. Laboratory tests confirmed he died from the H5N1 virus,” said Rita Kusriastuti, the Health Ministry’s head of animal-borne infectious disease control,
According to official statistics 154 people have died of bird flu in Indonesia since 2005.
The unnamed boy in the most recent case was a resident of Badung. Officials are investigating the boy’s home neighbourhood for signs of the disease among poultry and other residents.
Filed under: Health