Two Indonesian Children Dead from Bird Flu

Indonesian health officials confirmed Friday that two children died this week from bird flu. A seven-year-old girl from the Pamulang area near Jakarta passed away Thursday, while a 15-year-old boy in Bandung died Tuesday. Both tested positive through domestic laboratories, with samples forwarded to a WHO-recognized facility for final confirmation.

A third child, a 10-year-old boy, was buried before samples could be collected. Indonesia has now recorded 36 confirmed human bird flu fatalities, second globally only to Vietnam but leading all countries in deaths so far this year. Worldwide, over 120 people have died from the virus since late 2003, most of them across Asia.

Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in June 2006, in its own words.