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Bird
Flu Death
The
bird flu death toll climbs as Indonesia reports its fifth
human death from the virus.
The woman, a resident of
Tangerang near Jakarta, died in October of the H5N1 strain of the
bird flu and became Indonesia's latest bird flu death..
Her
8-year-old nephew, also living in the same house, tested positive
for the virus but is reported in good condition.
A senior
Indonesian Health Ministry official reports that the recent death
brings Indonesia's bird flu death total to 5.
Worldwide,
the World Health Organization reports a total of 62 bird flu
deaths from confirmed cases.
Of the confirmed H5N1 bird flu
deaths worldwide, all have been in Asia. Along with Indonesia's
5 bird flu deaths, 41 bird flu deaths were in Vietnam, 13 bird flu
deaths were in Thailand, and 4 bird flu deaths were in Cambodia.
The projected bird flu death toll varies widely. The
Centers for Disease Control earlier estimated between 89,000 and
207,000 deaths if the bird flu mutates to a human-to-human virus.
A draft US government report reported by the New York
Times projected a bird flu death toll of 1.9 million in the USA
alone.
A public health advocacy group based in Washington
estimated a bird flu death toll for 541,000.
Forecasts
from Emory University project a bird flu death toll from 164,000
to 1,000,000.
So far there have been no human bird flu
deaths in the western world, but authorities are concerned about
the spread of the H5N1 bird flu virus throughout Europe.
Health
authorities are recommending poultry workers, bird handlers, and
game hunters pay particular attention to hygiene, and especially
hand washing, when dealing with birds.
For more on the bird flu, see the news updates on our
homepage Latest Bird Flu News
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