New bird flu deaths in Indonesia

Indonesians are increasingly worried about bird flu

Two more Indonesians have died of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu, bringing the nation's death toll to 16, a health ministry official has said.

Hariadi Wibisono said the recent deaths had been confirmed by a World Health Organisation-affiliated laboratory in Hong Kong.

The victims were a male chicken seller from the capital, Jakarta, and a teenage boy from the city of Bandung.

More than 80 people have died since the disease's resurgence in December 2003.

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Bird flu

Millions of chickens and ducks have died of the disease, or been culled to prevent its spread.

Experts fear the virus could mutate into a form that passes easily between humans, possibly sparking a pandemic.