A 44-year-old man died of bird flu in Indonesia, a senior health official said Sunday, putting the country on the cusp of being the world´s hardest hit by the disease.

If the diagnosis by a local lab is confirmed by a World Health Organization-sanctioned test, the number of people killed by bird flu in Indonesia would rise to at least 42, tying it with hardest-hit Vietnam.

The man died July 12 after being hospitalized for two days with high fever, coughing and breathing difficulties, said the official, Nyoman Kandun.

"Local tests showed he was infected with the H5N1 virus," he said.

The man was from eastern outskirts of the capital Jakarta and had reportedly had contact with birds.