Ahmad Prihatna, an epidemiologist at the health ministry's bird flu information center, confirmed that the man had died in Jakarta hospital last Thursday. "But it has not been determined whether the bird was infected with bird flu," he said. The H5N1 strain of bird flu has so far claimed 169 human lives, according to the latest figures from the World Health Organization.

The bird flu virus originated in Hong Kong in 1997 and reemerged in 2003 and has since caused havoc worldwide. The H5N1 virus is primarily found in birds, but is transmitted to humans in close contact with sick fowl. The source of the virus remains a mystery. However it is recognized as a typical influenza virus in birds.

Indonesia is the worst-affected country with 65 deaths followed by Vietnam. Last May bird flu cluster was reported in a family where seven people died from the disease. This incident sent panic waves through the world stoking fears that the virus had mutated into a form easily transmissible between humans. The WHO confirmed that partial human-to-human transmission had indeed occurred.

According to the CDC, bird flu presents as fever, cough, sore throat, and muscle aches, eye infections, pneumonia, and severe respiratory diseases.

In the present case, the man in question was admitted to Persahabatan hospital on Wednesday. But is clear that he was treated for bird flu at some other center.

Most of Indonesia's 33 provinces have bird flu at an endemic scale. Last month Indonesia created a furor when it declared that it would not share the H5N1 virus with the WHO if the virus was used for commercial purposes. Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari said on Wednesday that the country would only share the samples of bird flu if a global sharing mechanism was put in place.

Indonesia said it was restricting the sharing of bird flu samples because foreign labs were using it to manufacture vaccines that they sold back to the country.

Meanwhile the WHO confirmed that a second human death from bird flu occurred in Laos. Earlier this month a 15-year-old girl was identified as the country's first H5N1 avian influenza victim.