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Thursday July 17, 7:27 PMIndonesian man dies of bird fluAn Indonesian cargo worker died of bird flu, relatives confirmed Thursday, raising the unofficial toll in the world's hardest hit nation to 111 in three years. The government recently started delaying announcements about bird flu fatalities, sometimes by several weeks. But health workers speaking on condition of anonymity confirmed the tests came back positive. Asnawi Sandri, a 38-year-old father of two, died in the hospital on July 10, days after he came down with symptoms of the disease, including high fever, coughing and breathing difficulties, said Abdul Kadir, his brother-in-law. "The doctor told us he died of bird flu," he said. "The tests came back positive from Jakarta." The H5N1 strain of bird flu has killed at least 243 people worldwide since it began ravaging Asian poultry stocks in late 2003, according to the World Health Organization, which only updates country tolls after governments make official announcements. The WHO has reported 110 bird flu human deaths from H5N1 in Indonesia since 2005. The disease remains hard for humans to catch, with most cases linked to contact with infected birds. But scientists worry the virus could mutate to a form that spreads more easily among people, triggering a pandemic that could kill millions worldwide. Indonesia, seen as a potential hotspot for that to happen, used to announce bird flu deaths immediately by e-mail or on its Web site. But as part of a widely criticized campaign to shift focus to successes in battling the disease, it recently altered its policy, saying updates would only be made once a month. The first such posting appeared June 19, but the Health Ministry said Thursday the next one would not come until the month's end. It gave no reason for the delay. Sandri lived in Belendung, a village 24 miles west of the capital, Jakarta, where chickens and ducks freely roam the dusty streets. But it is not clear where he contracted the H5N1 virus, with residents saying none of the poultry had fallen ill or died. Though officials took blood samples from relatives and neighbors, they have not culled any of the birds, Kadir said. Asked whether she could confirm Sandri's cause of death, Health Ministry spokeswoman Lily Sulistyowati said: "I can't say now whether the tests were positive or negative ... but we'll let the public know when we release our report at the end of the month." A member of the national bird flu commission, however, confirmed that the cargo worker died of bird flu, a local health worker said told The Associated Press. He asked not to be named because he did not have authorization to speak to the media. |
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