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Jakarta: A 32-year-old Indonesian man who tested positive for the bird flu virus has died, a health ministry official said on Wednesday. Authorities are still investigating the source of the infection.
The man, from Tangerang west of Jakarta, died on Tuesday at Jakarta's Persahabatan hospital, said Toto Haryanto from the ministry's bird flu centre.
Initially, authorities suspected the man had contracted the virus from pet doves kept in his neighbourhood, but subsequent tests revealed the birds and other fowl in the neighbourhood were H5N1-free.
This death takes the country's toll from the H5N1 bird flu virus to 101.
"It's a big mystery that has yet to be solved," said Zulkarnain Hassan from the agricultural ministry's bird flu control unit tasked with investigating the source of infection.
Fighting bird flu has been difficult in Indonesia as millions of backyard fowl live in close proximity to humans, while health education campaigns have often been patchy and rules difficult to enforce.
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