H5N1 Death Toll Climbs To 69

From CIDRAP:

"Dec 7, 2005 (CIDRAP News) – The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed two more deaths from avian influenza, one in China and one in Indonesia, bringing the global total to 135 cases and 69 deaths in nearly 2 years.

Indonesia had already announced that the Nov 25 death of a 25-year-old woman from Tangerang was due to the H5N1 virus, so the WHO's announcement on Tuesday was confirmation of that diagnosis.

In addition, a 10-year-old girl from the south China province of Guangxi is hospitalized with H5N1 flu, the WHO said today. The girl developed a fever and cough on Nov 23. Health authorities are investigating to determine how she contracted the illness. Hers is the 4th human case of illness announced by China to date.

Meanwhile, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) announced yesterday that an 8-month-old baby in Indonesia has tested positive for H5N1 infection. The story cited a spokesman at the Sulianti Soroso hospital in Jakarta as saying preliminary tests were positive for exposure to the virus.

The baby boy, from North Jakarta, was ill for 5 days before being placed in isolation on Sunday, ABC said in an online story yesterday."