A 29-year-old Indonesian woman from Tanggerang, an outskirt city of Jakarta, has died on avian influenza and another 38 year-old woman from West Jakarta has been infected by the virus, putting the total death to 103 out of 126 contracted people, Health Ministry said on Monday.

 

All of their laboratory tests showed that all the women were positively infected by the lethal disease, said Lili Sriwahyuni Sulistyowati, head of information center of the ministry.

 

"All their laboratories tests were positive on Sunday afternoon," she said.

 

All of them had historical contact with fowls, said Sulistayowti.

 

The 29-year-old woman died on Saturday and began to sick at Jan.22 with the symptoms of cough, fever and respiratory problem, said Sulistyowati.

 

On Jan. 28 she was admitted to a hospital in the Tanggerang town and one day later she was shifted to a bird-flu designed hospital of Persahabatan in East Jakarta, the official said.

 

"The families around her house raise chickens, but it is still unknown yet whether the chicken have been infected by H5N1,"she said.

 

Another woman from West Jakarta, who is being treated at Persahabatan hospital in East Jakarta, first suffered from the disease at Jan. 24 with the symptoms of cough, fever, influenza and throat problem, said Sulistyowati.

 

On Jan. 26 she was treated at a hospital in of Usada Insani and at Feb. 1 she was shifted to the Pershabatan hospital, the official said.

 

"She is using ventilator," said Sulistyowati.

 

"One week ago she came to her parent's house, which is next toa family raising ducks," she said. Expert has said that the improper initial medical treatment and poor hygiene of the traditional poultry market have been blamed for the highest fatality rate of bird flu in the fourth most populous country with over 240 million population.

 

(Agencies via Xinhua February 5, 2008)