Indonesian woman dies of bird flu on Bali island, preliminary testing shows
The Star, 14 Aug 2007

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP): Preliminary testing shows that an Indonesian woman died of bird flu over the weekend on Bali Resort Island, an official said Monday. 

If confirmed, it would be the first time the H5N1 bird flu virus had killed in the popular holiday island destination, although the disease has long been endemic in poultry flocks there. 

It would bring the number of Indonesian fatalities to 82, out of 103 recorded human cases. 

Officials were also trying to determine if the woman's 5-year-old daughter, who was cremated after dying on Aug. 3, may also have had the virus. 

"Results of testing by the ministry's laboratory came back positive for the 29-year-old woman,'' said Nyoman Kandun, a senior Health Ministry official. The infection has not yet been confirmed by a second round of testing, usually used to confirm bird flu. 

According to the World Health Organization, at least 192 people -- the majority of them in Indonesia -- have died worldwide from bird flu since it first infected Asian ducks and chickens in 2003. 

The virus remains hard for people to catch, but experts fear it will mutate into a form that spreads easily among humans, potentially sparking a pandemic. So far, most human cases have been linked to contact with infected birds.