Deceased Indonesian man had suspected case of bird flu

October 15, 2005

An Indonesian died of what is suspected to be bird flu, said an official yesterday. The man had symptoms of bird flu and had some contact with chickens but tested negative on his first test.

Indonesia currently has over 85 suspected bird flu cases and two confirmed and alive cases.

There is a possibility that the H5N1 virus might mutate and become highly contagious and lethal to humans. An example of such an epidemic is the 1918 disaster that killed millions around the globe.

Researchers say that Tamiflu might not be enough to hold the virus back.