Dec 15, 2007 3:07

BIRD FLU RESURFACES IN ASIA, DEATHS REPORTED

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
HANOI, Vietnam

Bird flu has resurfaced in parts of Asia, with human deaths reported in Indonesia and China and fresh poultry outbreaks plaguing other countries during the winter months when the virus typically flares.

Indonesia, the nation hardest hit by the H5N1 virus, announced its 93rd death on Friday. A 47-year old man fell ill December 2 and was admitted to a Jakarta hospital with flu-like symptoms, but he died Thursday, Health Ministry spokesman Joko Suyono said. The man was the 115th Indonesian infected with the disease.

The military in China's eastern Nanjing province banned the sale of poultry this week after a father and son were sickened by the disease earlier. Health officials confirmed a 24-year-old man died from the virus earlier this month, and that his father, 52, also fell sick. The son was the 17th person killed by H5N1 in China.