Bali’s first bird flu death of 2012 is suspected by officials after a child from Badung died of flu-like symptoms last week.

According to officials a 12-year-old boy was hospitalised on February 16, five days after developing a fever.

“He suffered shortness of breath and eventually died on February 21. Laboratory tests confirmed he died from the H5N1 virus,” said Rita Kusriastuti, the Health Ministry’s head of animal-borne infectious disease control,

According to official statistics 154 people have died of bird flu in Indonesia since 2005.

The unnamed boy in the most recent case was a resident of Badung. Officials are investigating the boy’s home neighbourhood for signs of the disease among poultry and other residents.