Special report: Global fight against bird flu

    JAKARTA, April 7 (Xinhua) -- The second laboratory test of blood confirmed on Saturday that a 29-year-old man, who died last Thursday, had the H5N1 bird flu virus, bringing the death toll in Indonesia to 74, an official said Saturday.

    The man, named Suramto, had contact with infected chickens before was treating in a hospital for nearly a week in Central Java province, Muhammad Nadirin, head of the health ministry's anti-bird flu center, was quoted by local reports as saying.

    Indonesia has become the hardest hit country by bird flu in the world with the highest number of death. Last month five people died of bird flu in the country and there were two people died till now this month.

    Indonesian health authorities have imposed a firm policy separating fowls from human and intensified surveillance on the virus. In addition, the authorities have forbidden raising fowls in residential areas.

    Over 32 million families in Indonesia's vast archipelago have raising chickens in backyard, according to Indonesian Agriculture Minister Anton Apriantono.