Bird flu claims two more victims in RI

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Two more Indonesians have been infected with the bird flu virus and one of them died last Saturday (Feb 2) in Jakarta, a Health Ministry official said.
The victims were two women - Su (29) of Tangerang city, Banten, and Sa (38) of West Jakarta, the ministry`s spokesperson, Lily S Sulityowati, said here Monday.
"The Health Ministry`s Research and Development Agency`s Laboratory and the Eijkman Molecular Biology Institute`a Laboratory confirmed on Monday that the two victims were infected with the bird flu virus," Sulistyowati said.
She said Su, a housewife in Gondrong village, Cipondoh sub disrict, Tangerang city, began to feel ill on January 22, 2008 with cough, fever and short breath symptoms.
Su was admitted to the Usada Insani hospital on January 28 and was referred to Persahabatan Hospital in East Jakarta the following day.
But the hospital failed to save her life and she died at 7.30 pm on February 2.
In the meantime, Sa, a female resident of Kali Deres village, West Jakarta, fell ill on January 24, 2008 with cough, fever, flu and a sore throat.
She was admitted to the MH Thamrin Hospital in Tangerang on January 26 and began to be treated at the Usada Insani hospital on January 29.
Sa was later moved to Persahabatan hospital in East Jakarta and was until Monday still breathing with the help of a ventilator.
The number of bird flu cases in Indonesia up to now has been recorded at 126, of which 103 have ended in the patient`s death, meaning that the fatality rate has reached 81.7 percent.(*) END

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