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JAKARTA - A 16-year-old Indonesian girl has died of suspected bird flu, a doctor said Sunday.
The girl, Sumiarsih, died on Saturday afternoon, three days after being admitted for treatment at the Sulianti Saroso bird flu referral hospital in the Indonesian capital, hospital spokesman Ilham Patu told AFP.
"She showed all the symptoms of bird flu infection such as high fever, coughing and low blood cell count," Patu said.
"But we have not yet received the results of tests of samples taken from her. She remains a suspected bird flu case," Patu said.
Health Minister Spokesperson Lili Sulistiawati confirmed officials were still awaiting the results before confirming the case as a bird flu death.
Two positive results are needed before Indonesian authorities confirm a human infection of bird flu.
The Tempo newspaper quoted the girl's father as saying that officials conducted a check of poultry in their neighbourhood in Sawangan, southeast of Jakarta, and found some were positive for the deadly virus.
Sumiarsih fell sick on Monday and was taken to a private hospital two days later, before being referred to Sulianti Saroso on Thursday.
Indonesia has the world's highest number of human bird flu victims, with 107 known fatal cases, 13 of them this year.
Experts fear the virus, which is usually spread directly from birds to humans, could mutate into a form easily transmissible between people, sparking a deadly global pandemic. - AFP/vm
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