Two Women Die Of Bird Flu In Indonesia

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Main Category: Bird Flu / Avian Flu
Article Date: 14 Jan 2007 - 0:00 PDT

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Authorities have confirmed that two women, aged 27 and 22, have died of bird flu H5N1 infection, bringing the total number of deaths in the country to 61 - four so far this year. One woman was from Jakarta, she died on Friday, the other, from a town west of Jakarta, died yesterday.

Indonesian authorities say another person has been admitted to hospital with bird flu like symptoms. This person had been slaughtering poultry.

On January 9th a 38-year-old woman from Tangerang, Banten Province, died of H5N1 bird flu.

Scientists fear the H5N1 bird flu virus strain, the most virulent one, will eventually mutate so that it spreads easily among humans. This has not yet happened. It is still a difficult illness for humans to catch from birds or other humans. The most likely way the virus might mutate would be to infect a human who has the normal flu. The bird flu virus could then exchange genetic information with the normal human flu virus and pick up its ability to spread easily from human-to-human.

Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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