Bird Flu Kills Two in Indonesia

Two Indonesians have died of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu. According to a health ministry official, the nation's total death is now at 16.

Hariadi Wibisono said the recent deaths had been confirmed by a World Health Organisation-affiliated laboratory in Hong Kong.

The victims were a male chicken seller from the capital, Jakarta, and a teenage boy from the city of Bandung.

More than 80 people have died since the disease's resurgence in December 2003.

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Bird flu

Millions of chickens and ducks have died of the disease, or been culled to prevent its spread.

Experts fear the virus could mutate into a form that passes easily between humans, possibly sparking a pandemic.

Source: BBC News