Indonesia reports 9th birdflu death this year

A 37-year Indonesian man has died of avian influenza in Yogyakarta province of Indonesia, bringing the total fatality to 9 this year, health ministry said on its website on Sunday.

The man from Prambanan of Sleman district died on July 30 after being treated in hospitals, the ministry said.

Two laboratory tests confirmed that he was positive on having H5N1 virus, putting the the total death to 159 out of 191 cases since the viruses first attacked the country in 2005.

The self-employed man first felt the symtomps of the disease on July 24 with having high fever before he went to a hospital in the next day. Two days later, the man was treated in the hospital for his worsening condition and on July 29 he was shifted to another hospital.

An investigation showed that the man had possibly had contact with birds or poultry as it was found pet caged birds kept on his work place, and about 50 meters from his house there was a poulty slaugher house, as well as a cattle farm near it.

Concerns on the bird flu attacks appear in the region following the reports of the death on the H5N1 in Indonesia, Cambodia, China and Vietnam.

Indonesia is striving to produce bird flu vaccine to a sufficient level when the pandemic takes place, Health Minister Nafsiah Mboi has said.

She said that the country needed over 50,000 units vaccine to be used when pandemic occurred and to help other countries.