Aug 9, 2006 (CIDRAP News) – The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed today that a 17-year-old girl who died yesterday in Jakarta province had H5N1 avian influenza, marking the country"e;s second case this week.

The WHO statement said the case was confirmed by Indonesia"e;s Ministry of Health. Indonesia"e;s case count now stands at 56 cases with 44 deaths—the most deaths in any country to date.

An investigation into the source of the girl"e;s infection found that pet pigeons were kept inside her home and that several neighbors kept flocks of backyard poultry, the WHO reported. Animal health workers have collected samples from birds in the neighborhood for testing as part of an ongoing investigation.

Human cases of H5N1 avian influenza from Indonesia are now being confirmed by WHO more quickly because the organization is accepting national notification of confirmed cases, WHO spokesperson Dick Thompson told the Associated Press today. Based on the WHO"e;s long experience with the Indonesian labs, he said further testing at an outside laboratory is no longer needed.