/health
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) -- A 3-year-old boy in Indonesia died from bird flu, boosting the death toll in the country hardest hit by the disease to 108, the health ministry announced Wednesday.
The toddler from Central Java province first showed the flu-like symptoms of high fever and breathing difficulties on April 17. He died five days later after being admitted to a local hospital, ministry spokeswoman Lily Sulistyowati said.
Two laboratory tests came back positive for the H5N1 virus, and health investigators found the child "had a history of contact with dead poultry," she said.
Indonesia has regularly recorded human deaths from bird flu since the virus began ravaging poultry stocks across Asia in 2003. Its toll of 108 accounts for nearly half the 240 recorded fatalities worldwide.
Bird flu remains hard for people to catch, but health experts worry that the virus could mutate into a form that passes easily between humans, possibly triggering a pandemic that could kill millions. So far most human cases have been linked to contact with infected birds.
Scientists have warned that Indonesia, which has millions of backyard chickens and poor medical facilities, is a potential hot spot for the start of a global pandemic. E-mail to a friend 
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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