INDONESIA : FIVE MEMBERS OF SAME FAMILY DIE FROM BIRD FLU IN LESS THAN A WEEK

The Jakarta Post is reporting that five members from the same family have died from bird, all within less than six days.

"The five are part of a large family in Tanah Karo village on Sumatra island in which eight people are suspected to have contracted the virulent H5N1 bird flu virus.

"Four died from the disease earlier this past week, according to local tests, and a fifth was confirmed on Sunday, said Nyoman Kandun, head of the Health Ministry's office of communicable disease control.

Samples from the patients have been sent to a World Health Organization-accredited lab."

UNITED STATES : BIRD FLU AND NATURAL DISASTER FEARS SPAWN BOOM TIME FOR 'SURVIVALIST' STORES

There is a rapidly growing trend in the US today, spurned on by President Bush's repeated warnings about bird flu and further natural disasters, coupled with a widespread belief that if a bird flu pandemic hit the US then "you're on your own", which sees millions of Americans stockpiling freeze-dried food, water and camping supplies.

Disaster preparedness stores, usually large warehouses stocked floor to ceiling with bulk-buy boxes of everything from toilet paper and first aid kits to long-life batteries and candles to freeze-dried bacon and eggs, are doing huge business.

Some disaster preparedness stores are reporting sales increases for March rising by some 600 per cent and seven figure takings.

Such stores fear the bird flu pandemic, not only for the widespread death toll, but for the panic-buying and subsequent chaos that is expected to swamp these businesses.

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