The number of bird flu patients in Indonesia has increased to 101 people, spokesperson for the Health Ministry Lily S Sulistyowati said in press release here Sunday. Lily said the last person affected by the bird flu virus was a three-year old child identified as V, a resident of Pesisir subdistrict, Pekanbaru, Riau province, ANTARA reported. She pointed out that V was found to be affected by the H5NI virus based on the ministry`s laboratory examination on June 22, 2007. Meanwhile, an examination conducted by Eijkman Institute in Jakarta declared that V was affected by the bird flu virus on June 23, 2007. V has been ill since June 18 with fever without cough and cold. V was then brought to a community health centre in Rumbai in Riau and reported to the Riau provincial command post for bird flu cases. On June 19, 2007, V sustained a fever and was then rushed to Arifin Ahmad hospital in Pakanbaru. "V is now still under a medical treatment at the hospital in a better condition," she said. Lily said an investigation result showed that V came in contact with a cock which suddenly died on June 16, 2007. Data available at the Health Ministry showed 80 of 101 bird flu patients died, or the death rate reached 79.2 percent. West Java is the province with biggest number of bird flu patients (29 cases, 23 of them died) followed by Jakarta (25 cases, 22 died), Banten (12, 10 passed away), Central Java (9 cases, 8 succumbed), North Sumatra (8 cases, 7 died), East Java (7 cases, 5 passed away), Riau (3 cases, 2 died), West Sumatra (3 cases, 1 died), Lampung (3 cases, no demise), South Sulawesi ( 1 case, 1 died) and South Sumatra (1 case, 1 perished).
