Indonesia Reports 15 New Avian influenza Deaths In 2009
07 January 2010
Indonesia reported 15 more avian influenza fatalities in 2009, taking the human death toll in the country worst hit by the illness to 134.
Officials recorded 20 cases of the illness last year, 19 of them fatal.
The figures are the first to be released by Indonesia since March, when four deaths were announced. They show that while avian influenza is still active, the number of cases is on the decline.
Last year saw the lowest number of human fatalities since 2005, when 13 were reported.
Indonesia came under strong criticism last year when it stopped announcing individual cases of the disease and ceased sharing virus samples with international health experts.