called "backyard" chickens are found. The task force may involve several thousand people. "Most of the known human infection has occured in a fairly small area in the western part of Java. There's obviously something there which is enabling the disease to transmit to humans more frequently," said Roeder. "So it makes sense to try and stop that because everything we're doing is, in fact, trying to reduce the risk of human infection eventually." He said the disease control effort would likely be extended to other bird flu hotspots within the archipelago early next year. The H5N1 virus has infected at least 123 people in Asia and killed more than 60, for a known mortality rate of more than 50 percent. Vietnam on Tuesday confirmed its 42nd human death from bird flu. Thirteen have died in Thailand and four in Cambodia. Most cases have been blamed on direct or indirect contact with infected chickens. But scientists say H5N1 appears to be mutating, as influenza viruses usually do, and could transform into a virus that passes easily between humans. --SP 1307 Local Time 1007 GMT
