Man dies from bird flu, family sick

A 23-year-old Indonesian man has died of bird flu, local tests showed today, as officials said that four members of the same family were being treated in hospital for symptoms of the virus.

The family lived in west Java province and lived close to chickens, said Sardikin Giriputro, an official at Jakarta’s infectious diseases hospital. Blood and swab tests were being run to see whether they had contracted bird flu.

The 23-year-old died in Jakarta on Sunday, said senior health ministry official Hariadi Wibisono.

Tests by a local laboratory showed he contracted bird flu, but samples had been sent to a World Health Organisation lab in Hong Kong for confirmation as is common practice in Indonesia, he said.