Girl Dies From Bird Flu In Bali

many people from the UK visit Bali every year

Some more worrying news from the Indonesian island of Bali is that another person has died from the H5N1 avian flu virus and the case has just been confirmed by the World Health Organisation. The young girl who died had been in contact with infected birds on the island. This latest case of bird flu in humans has dealt a blow to the Balinese tourism industry which is a major earner of foreign currency for the area. Indonesia as a nation has been the worst hit country in the world from a bird flu perspective and so in a way it was thought that at some point the bird flu virus would infect a person in Bali but nevertheless the people of Bali were hoping and praying that it wouldn't actually happen.

What will bring this latest case nearer to home is that so many people from the UK visit Bali every year and thus instead of the bird flu virus being a disease which occurs in remote parts of the world where western tourists never go it is now being made apparent just how simple it would be for a bird flu pandemic to spread across the whole world if it became extremely contagious. Over one million people a year visit the island of Bali every year and they come from all over the world.

The health authorities of the Indonesian government issued a statement saying that the new cases of the virus were not any different from previous cases and that it was important that people did not overreact. They said that tourists had nothing to worry about and that they should not cancel their holidays.

At Ukmedix News we would advise people who have made holiday plans to go to Bali not to cancel their holidays but they should take extra precautions when in the country. They should stay away from all birds especially farms with flocks of poultry and should make sure that all their meals are cooked very well.