No new bird flu reports from West Bengal

No reports of avian flu have come in from new districts in West Bengal. As of now 13 have been affected. The culling of 22 lakh birds in areas affected by the disease so far was expected to be completed by Tuesday, Anisur Rahaman, Minister for Animal Resources Development, told media. The culling target was revised to 25 lakh birds in the wake of the more recent spread of avian flu and should be met within the next two days, the Minister added.

Indonesia Reports 100th Bird Flu Death

Meanwhile AP reports from Indonesia a nation which has beeb hardest hit by bird flu, that it has recorded its 100th human death as the virus picks up speed across Asia. Health officials are bracing for more possible outbreaks during the upcoming Lunar New Year, when massive numbers of people and poultry are on the move. In Indonesia, the H5N1 bird flu virus killed a 9-year-old boy and a 20-year-old woman from the outskirts of Jakarta, said Joko Suyono of the National Bird Flu Center AP reports.

The boy fell ill Jan. 16 and died Sunday in Jakarta after testing positive, Suyono said. The woman developed symptoms Jan. 19 and died in a hospital. Two other Indonesians in their 30s, who also tested positive, were being treated in the capital, Suyono said. Indonesia has recorded nearly half of the 222 human deaths from bird flu detected worldwide since the virus began decimating poultry stocks in late 2003.