Indonesia registers 100th bird flu death

(CBC) - Indonesia has recorded its 100th human death from the bird flu, almost half of the total worldwide fatalities.

A nine-year-old boy and a 20-year-old woman died from the disease over the weekend, raising the death toll to 100, said Joko Suyono of the National Bird Flu Centre.

He said two Indonesians in their 30s who also tested positive were being treated in the capital, Jakarta.

Since the H5N1 virus emerged in late 2003, 222 people have died worldwide, with nearly half of those fatalities in Indonesia. It is also one of the only countries to log human deaths year-round, as bird flu typically flares in the winter months.

Meanwhile, India has recorded its worst-ever outbreak and officials have slaughtered more than 1.6 million birds since mid-January.

Most cases of bird flu are linked to contact with sick poultry. The disease remains difficult for humans to catch, but experts fear the virus could mutate into a form that spreads easily among people.

With files from the Associated Press