Indonesia promises tough action to counter spread of bird flu

0 Comments | AFP, September, 2005

JAKARTA (AFP) — Indonesia promised tough action to counter the spread of bird flu and urged people to remain calm after the country confirmed a fourth death from the virus.

The death last week of a 37-year-old Jakarta woman from bird flu brought Indonesia's toll level with that of Cambodia, while 43 deaths have been recorded in Vietnam and 12 in Thailand.

"We appeal to the public to help us by remaining calm. We will work very hard to minimize this disease so that it will not spread further," Health Minister Siti Fadillah Supari told AFP on Saturday.

I Nyoman Kandun, the ministry's director general of disease control, said Saturday that a six-year-old girl was also being treated in Jakarta as a "suspected case" of bird flu.

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