Poultry In Luwu Timur District Infected With Bird Flu Virus
 Bernama, 25 June 2007

MAKASSAR (South Sulawesi), June 25 (Bernama) -- Bird flu virus has infected poultry in four villages in Luwu Timur District since the past week, forcing the local authorities to cult around 1,000 chickens in the bird-flu-hit villages, Indonesia's Antara news agency reported Monday.

"We have culled chickens in four villages, namely Nuha, Nikel, Magani and Sorowako to prevent the H5N1 virus from spreading to wider ares," Mahyuddin Masri, head of the Animal Husbandry production section of the Luwu Timur District's agriculture services said here on Monday. Mahyuddin suspected the bird flu virus (Avian Influenza - AI) had entered Nuha village from Morowali, Central Sulawesi.

Meanwhile, the number of bird flu patients in Indonesia has increased to 101 people, spokesperson for the Health Ministry Lily S Sulistyowati said in press release here Sunday.

Lily said the last person affected by the bird flu virus was a three-year old child identified as V, a resident of Pesisir sub district, Pekanbaru, Riau province.

She pointed out that V was found to be affected by the H5NI virus based on the ministry's laboratory examination on June 22, 2007.

Data available at the Health Ministry showed 80 of 101 bird flu patients died, or the death rate reached 79.2 percent.

West Java is the province with biggest number of bird flu patients (29 cases, 23 of them died) followed by Jakarta (25 cases, 22 died), Banten (12, 10 passed away), Central Java (9 cases, 8 succumbed), North Sumatra (8 cases, 7 died), East Java (7 cases, 5 passed away), Riau (3 cases, 2 died), West Sumatra (3 cases, 1 died), Lampung (3 cases, no demise), South Sulawesi ( 1 case, 1 died) and South Sumatra (1 case, 1 perished).