| Indonesia has taken immediate action to try | | | | Wednesday. |
| to contain an outbreak of the bird flu virus | | | | |
| that has killed four people in the nation's | | | | Most of the at least 60 people who have died |
| capital since July. International health | | | | from the virus in four Asian countries since |
| experts have begun arriving in Indonesia to | | | | late 2003 became infected after close contact |
| help with the growing problem. | | | | with birds. |
| | | | |
| The Indonesian health minister warns the | | | | The WHO's Indonesia representative, Georg |
| recent outbreak of bird flu could easily turn | | | | Petersen, says with 12 million people in |
| into an epidemic as agricultural officials | | | | Jakarta living near infected birds more |
| announced plans for a massive cull of poultry | | | | people could catch the virus. |
| in infected areas. | | | | |
| | | | "The virus is basically circulating in the |
| Health experts are concerned because they | | | | bird population and we have a situation with |
| cannot identify the source of the H5N1 virus | | | | very high population density too in the same |
| that has caused at least four deaths in | | | | areas, so the chances are more infections in |
| recent weeks. | | | | humans is slowly growing," he said. |
| | | | |
| World Health Organization spokesman Bob Dietz | | | | WHO spokesman Mr. Dietz also says |
| says there is concern the virus could spread | | | | human-to-human transmission may have already |
| among humans. | | | | occurred, but in a limited way. |
| | | | |
| "The threat, the very, very, very grave | | | | "This might have happened. But we have always |
| threat is that sooner or later it will evolve | | | | been reluctant to say categorically this has |
| into that sort of virus that can be exchanged | | | | indeed happened. What might be happening is |
| between human beings. That means it could | | | | inefficient transmission of the virus between |
| tear through the global population very | | | | human beings in some very specialized, |
| quickly," he said. | | | | localized situations," he said. |
| | | | |
| Six suspected cases of bird flu remain under | | | | Health experts from Australia, the United |
| observation in a Jakarta hospital, while a | | | | States and Canada have begun to arrive in |
| seventh, a five-year-old child, died | | | | Indonesia to assess the situation. |