JAKARTA, 12 February 2006 - A World Health Organization-sanctioned laboratory confirmed the deaths of two Indonesian women from bird flu, the country's Health Ministry said Sunday. The confirmation brings Indonesia's human death toll from the deadly H5N1 strain to 18. The women, ages 22 and 37, were from the town of Bekasi, a town just east of the capital, Jakarta. They died within hours of each other last week.

The Hong Kong laboratory sent the test results to Indonesia's Health Ministry on Sunday, said Hariadi Wibisono, a ministry official. He also announced the death of a 23-year-old man suspected of having the virus. The man, who died at a hospital Friday night, had frequent contact with poultry in Jakarta, Wibisono said. He said blood and swab samples from the victim had been sent to the Hong Kong laboratory for confirmation.

At least 88 people worldwide have died from bird flu since 2003, according to the WHO, whose numbers were last updated Feb. 9. Almost all the deaths have been linked to contact with infected poultry, but experts fear the virus could mutate into a form that spreads easily among humans, sparking a pandemic.

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