DENPASAR, 27 August 2007 - A 43-year-old woman which is suspected of being infected with the bird flu virus has died in Bali, which causes fears of a wider outbreak. Blood samples from the woman were sent to Jakarta for further testing. If this case is confirmed it is the third person on Bali to die from the virus this month alone. Radio Australia reports that the outbreak is also having an effect on the restaurant business and of course farmers which depend on raising poultry.

The outbreak has lead to a ban on the import of chicken from East Java while local farmers were told to keep their poultry inside. Earlier this month two other people died of bird flu on Bali and more than 6.000 fowl were culled. Agung Suryawan, chairman of the Research Center of Culture and Tourism at the Udayana University, said that these problems cause hardships for farmers but he also said that the Balinese government is providing adequate compensation for farmers.

"The government has already provided what we call special crisis funding," he says. Despite fears of a potential epidemic, Surywawan told that the local community is uniting behind the provincial government in order to stop the spread of bird flu. "At the moment, the community members who have chickens are willing to give their chickens to be killed," he says.

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