Four people die of bird flu in Indonesia

JAKARTA, March 3 (Chinese media) -- Four people have been dead by avian influenza in Indonesia since January this year, head of the national bird flu commission Bayu Krisnamurthi said on Tuesday.

The deaths have brought the total fatality by the virus to 117 out of 143 infected people.

"Four deaths by bird flu have been confirmed in January and February," Krisnamurthi told Chinese media.

He said that two people had died in Bogor, an outskirt city of Jakarta, one in Surabaya, the capital of East Java province and another in Bekasi town also near Jakarta.

Indonesia has grappled with major problem on its effort to stop the spread of the virus, including huge territory, traditional way of rising chickens on back yard and lack of obedience of provincial administration in implementing government's decision to stop the virus spread.