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ROBIN McDOWELL/AP
JAKARTA, Indonesia - A 15-year-old girl died of bird flu last month, becoming Indonesia’s 109th victim, but the government decided to keep the news quiet. It is part of a new policy aimed at improving the image of the nation hardest hit by the disease.

“How does it help us to announce these deaths?” Heath Minister Siti Fadilah Supari said Thursday, after confirming that the girl from southern Jakarta tested positive on May 13 and died one day later. “We want to focus now on positive steps and achievements made by the government in fighting bird flu.”

Indonesia’s decision could aggravate the World Health Organization, which waits to update its official tally of Indonesia’s bird flu deaths until after they are formally announced by the government. The toll on its Web site stood at 108 on Thursday — accounting for nearly half the 241 recorded fatalities worldwide. More

Photo Woodley

The H5N1 avian flu virus has infected flocks in much of Asia, Africa and parts of Europe. Experts fear it could mutate into a form that passes easily from person to person, sparking an influenza pandemic that could kill millions. “The risk of a pandemic remains and is probably expanding,” said Dr. Supamit Chunsuttiwat, a disease control expert at Thailand’s health ministry who is chairing the four-day meeting. Supamit noted the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus persisted on three continents and had caused human cases in Indonesia, Egypt and China this year.
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