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