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First bird flu deaths in Indonesia
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HEALTH LIBRARYYOUR E-MAIL ALERTSJAKARTA, Indonesia -- Indonesia has confirmed its first human deaths from bird flu, saying a man and his two daughters died from the disease in the capital Jakarta last week. On Wednesday, Indonesia's Health Minister Siti Fadillah Supari told reporters 38-year-old Iwan Siswara Rafei and his 9-year-old and 1-year-old daughters died from the H5N1 avian flu virus, bringing Asia's toll from the disease to 57. The World Health Organization has long warned that a new, more deadly strain of the virus could mutate, allowing human-to-human transmission, but Supari downplayed those fears. "It's confirmed. They died of the conventional bird flu virus strain, which does not transmit from humans to humans," she said. The virus has not mutated, The Associated Press quoting her as saying, so "I don't think we have to worry about that now." Bird flu has swept through poultry populations in large swaths of Asia since December 2003. Tens of millions of chickens have either died or been slaughtered, while bird flu has killed 38 people in Vietnam, 12 in Thailand, four in Cambodia, and -- with the latest deaths -- three in Indonesia, according to AP reports. Experts say most of the deaths so far have resulted from an animal passing the virus to a human. It was not known how the three were infected since the family lived in an area not hit by previous bird flu outbreaks. There was no evidence yet the three had contact with infected poultry, AP quoted Supari as saying. Authorities have put about 300 people who were in contact with the family under observation. No one else has shown signs of the illness so far, including Iwan's wife and eldest son. Health officials say they will continue to monitor the housing complex where the family lived and the schools the children attended. Blood samples have also been taken from several neighbors for testing. Last month, Indonesia reported its first human case in a poultry worker, but the man did not develop symptoms and is healthy. Supari has scheduled a press conference for Thursday morning to provide additional details of the case and was meeting Wednesday with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. CNN's Kathy Quiano contributed to this report 
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