# 626
Indonesian authorities are reporting the death of a 23-year old housemaid on Sunday who tested positive for the H5N1 virus. The only link to birds mentioned is that she cared for her employer's pet eagle (some reports call it a pet hawk).
There is no mention of the bird being ill. The investigation continues.
Bird flu kills Indonesian woman, raising toll to 72
JAKARTA, April 4 (Reuters) - A Jakarta housemaid who had looked after a pet eagle has died from bird flu, marking Indonesia's 72nd confirmed death from the virus, a health ministry official said on Wednesday.
Indonesia, the world's fourth-most-populous country, has had more deaths from the H5N1 strain of avian influenza than any other nation. An additional 20 people confirmed to have the virus have not died.
Muhammad Nadirin of the health ministry's bird flu centre told Reuters that two tests on the 23-year-old housemaid from south Jakarta, who died on April 1, confirmed she had bird flu.
"Her master keeps an eagle at home, she took care of the bird," Nadirin said.
He said authorities had yet to determine whether the eagle had the virus, although a number of fowl in the area had suddenly died.
Humans who contract bird flu have generally had contact with infected fowl.
We still are awaiting news on a number of other cases reported by the local media as having been hospitalized suspected of `flu burung', and on a couple of other `suspected cases' that died over the past few days.
Of greatest concern are the 4 health care workers who came in contact with a positively infected patient, and who reportedly suffered fevers and thrombocytopenia (lowered platelet levels).
These media reports often appear in the local press, and then we never hear a followup.
