Indonesian bird flu suspect dies

A 42-year-old Indonesian man has died after he was suspected of having avian influenza in west Java province, Xinhua quoted a media as reporting here on Monday. The man died on March 3 after being treated at the Hasan Sadikin Hospital in Bandung, the capital of the province, since Feb. 29. The man was suspected of suffering bird flu as he had been treated for bird flu symptoms. So far, there have been no confirmation from two laboratory tests as a requirement for bird flu attacks. Spokesman for avian flu control with the hospital, Primal Sudjana, said that the patient suffered multiple organ failure as his kidneys, respiratory system and liver malfunctioned. The patient had been treated previously at two other hospitals in the capital province before he was shifted to Hasan Sadikin hospital, the spokesman was quoted by the Jakarta Post as saying. Should the laboratory test confirm the man was positive on H5N1, his death would be the fifth bird flu death in the country this year, putting the total fatality to 155 out of 187 cases since 2005. It was not clear yet whether the man had contact with animal. But, contact with poultry, particularly chicken, is the common cause of fatality in Indonesia. Indonesia had been hit, the hardest, by H5N1, several years after the virus attacked the country seven years ago, but then the attacks had been slowed and have started to reoccur since last year by killing 9 people, including two children.