WHO: H5N1 strikes two more Indonesians

Feb 5, 2008 (CIDRAP News) – The World Health Organization (WHO) today confirmed that a 29-year-old Indonesian woman recently died of H5N1 avian influenza and that another Indonesian, a 38-year-old woman, is hospitalized with the disease.

The 29-year-old woman was from Tangerang, the same western suburb of Jakarta where several of Indonesia's most recent H5N1 case-patients lived. She fell ill on Jan 22, was hospitalized 6 days later, and died on Feb 2, according to a WHO statement. She is listed as the country's 125th case-patient and its 103rd fatality.

The WHO said an investigation into the source of her illness was under way. Lili Sulistyowati, a spokeswoman from Indonesia's health ministry, said the woman's neighbors raised chickens, but it's not known if the birds were infected with the H5N1 virus, according to a report yesterday from Xinhua, China's state news agency.

The WHO also announced that the 38-year-old woman, who is from West Jakarta, is in critical condition. She became ill Jan 24 and was hospitalized 2 days later. She is now confirmed as Indonesia's 126th H5N1 case-patient, according to the WHO.

The source of the woman's illness is also still under investigation, the WHO said. Sulistyowati told Xinhua that a week ago the woman visited her parents, who live next to a family that raises ducks.

Indonesia has been hit hardest of any country by the H5N1 virus. The WHO's global H5N1 count stands at 359 cases and 226 deaths.

See also:

Feb 5 WHO statement

WHO global H5N1 case count