Originally published February 21 2006
Two more deaths from bird flu suspected in Indonesia
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Health officials in Jakarta have sent samples from two suspected bird flu victims to the World Health Organization lab in Hong Kong to confirm that the victims died from the H5N1 strain of bird flu.
day after a United Nations official called for $1.5 billion to help poor countries and international organizations fight bird flu, Indonesia reported what is said to be at least the twelfth death there from bird flu.
A health official in Jakarta said a 29-year-old woman who had a history of contact with poultry died Wednesday night and samples have been sent to a World Health Organization-sanctioned laboratory in Hong Kong to confirm the cause of her death.
That's according to Hariadi Wibisono, a senior official at the Indonesian health ministry.
Indonesia is also waiting on results from the Hong Kong lab on a 39-year-old man who died recently and for whom local tests indicated he had bird flu.
If both results are confirmed, the country's human toll from the disease would climb to 13, said Wibisono.
Indonesian tests are generally reliable, but the country does not update its official human bird flu tally until confirmation is received from the laboratory.
Wednesday, a senior U.N. official in Geneva said that poor countries and international organizations need about $1.5 billion to help fight bird flu and prepare for a possible pandemic in humans.
Dr. David Nabarro, the U.N. coordinator on avian and human influenza, initially expressed confidence that countries would give more than $1 billion at next week's first international donors conference to finance efforts to combat the disease.
But he later hedged his expectations for the Jan. 17-18 meeting in Beijing, co-sponsored by the Chinese government, the World Bank and the European Commission.
"Fingers-crossed, it's going to be a good-sized pledge," Nabarro said.
"I think most countries are aware of the seriousness and the need to move money to poor countries."
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