In China a youth dies in an area believed to be free of infection among birds. In Indonesia the disease takes another two lives, in western Sumatra and Jakarta. Meanwhile other states, such as Afghanistan and Egypt, race to block the live bird trade.

Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Yet more deaths from Avian Flu in China and Indonesia. Meanwhile in other states authorities ask for a ban on live poultry trade in attempts to stop the virus spreading.

It was confirmed today that a 16-year-old boy from Bengbu in the rural eastern province of Anhui died from the disease on March 27th.  The boy had direct contact with infected birds.  Bengbu and its surrounding countries has a population of about 3.5 million and there is serious concern over the fact that poultry infected had not previously been confirmed.  China has now reported a total of 24 human cases of H5N1, including 15 deaths, since 2003. It last reported a human death from bird flu in July last year.

The Indonesian Health Ministry confirmed a 14-year-old boy and a 28-year-old woman had died, bringing the country's confirmed human death toll from the H5N1 virus to 71, the highest in the world. Indonesia announced three deaths on Wednesday.

Both countries are considered high risk, China because it contains the highest numbers of poultry farms in the world and a weak health system; Indonesia because poultry is raised in domestic yards spread through the immense island chain

Meanwhile the Afghan health ministry has confirmed that new cases of a deadly strain of bird flu have been found in Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, and in the southern province of Kandahar over the past week. In an effort to mitigate the outbreak of avian influenza in Afghanistan, the World Health Organisation (WHO) on 25 March called on Afghans to stop buying and selling live birds.

The virus has already hit 50 States. Yesterday in Egypt (a country which has reported 13 deaths due to the disease) President Hosni Mubarak has proposed a law banning trade in live poultry, with severe penalties including prison terms for transgressors.  

 

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