News - The Jakarta Post - Govt confirms new human bird flu case in Bandung

A 16-year-old boy has been confirmed as the country's 12th human bird flu case, as the government said Indonesia was ready to start producing the antiviral drug Tamiflu within three to five months to help fight the disease.

Health ministry official Hariadi Wibisono was quoted by AFP as saying that the condition of the boy, who was admitted to the state hospital in West Java's provincial capital Bandung on Nov. 15, was good but he was infected.

"Tests (on blood) taken from the 16-year-old boy, both locally and by the World Health Organization (WHO), show that he is a bird flu patient," he said.

"We have received news that his condition is quite good and it is hoped that he can survive," he added.

Seven fatalities from the H5N1 strain of avian influenza have been confirmed in Indonesia by the WHO, but more than a dozen suspected bird flu deaths have been reported.

Health officials are waiting for WHO confirmation of local tests which showed that a 35-year-old man who died Nov. 19 was the country's eighth fatality.

Four other Indonesians have been confirmed as carrying the virus but have either recovered or are still receiving treatment.

Meanwhile, health minister Siti Fadilah Supari said on Saturday that the mass production of Tamiflu in the country would start in three to five months.

The minister said the government would appoint state
The Jakarta Post - Govt confirms new human bird flu case in Bandung